


A Beary Happy Birthday Blaine

by dreamcatcher (darcangell23)



Series: The Angel Realm [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: AU, Angels, Dead!Kurt, F/M, M/M, Miracles, Mythological
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-28
Updated: 2013-11-28
Packaged: 2018-01-02 20:25:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 41,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1061242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darcangell23/pseuds/dreamcatcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blaine receives a used white teddy bear from his uncle for his birthday. It seems to be just that, a teddy bear. Until he comes back to his room at Dalton after visiting a dead boy's grave to find a miracle nine years later. AU. Originally posted on fanfiction.net!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a completed fic that I originally posted on fan fiction. I was working on a sequel when the site stopped allowing me into my login so I decided now to transfer it all here so that I could continue to work on the sequel. If you read it on fan fiction where it is under the same title, you won't notice much differences. I've fixed typos and grammatical errors and did some minor revision, mostly just rewording a few sentences and adding a few words to other sentences. There have been no major changes. I'm going to give you the entirety of the first story now. You can probably expect another A/N at the end!
> 
> Comments and kudos make me smile! Enjoy! Especially if you haven't read it before.

Burt Hummel paced he waiting room in the emergency department of Lima Memorial Hospital. He was distraught. He'd gotten the worse news that anyone could have gotten. His wife Elizabeth and their eight year old son Kurt had been in a terrible car accident. Elizabeth had unfortunately been killed on impact. Kurt had been rushed into lifesaving surgery the moment he'd arrived at the hospital. Burt was waiting to hear whether or not the operation would be a success.

It had been hours and still Burt could not sit still, pacing into the evening hours of the day.

Finally, as the clock struck eight in the evening, a doctor emerged. Burt had only to look at him to know the fate of his son and his knees gave way as he broke down in sobs.

"Mr. Hummel," the doctor said, placing a hand on the broken man's shoulder. "I am terribly sorry for your loss." Those words made it all more real. Kurt, like his mother was gone. "Perhaps you can find sympathy with this." Burt looked up with red-rimmed eyes. The doctor was holding out a white teddy bear. Its fur was matted with dirt and what looked like a bloody handprint around the right arm. A red ribbon tied in a delicate bow was wrapped around its neck. The bear had belonged to Kurt. He was attached to it and no doubt had been clutching the toy in the car.

Burt could not bring himself to take it. He dissolved into fresh tears. The doctor just let him cry on the floor of the waiting room.

Two hours away in a town called Westerville, oblivious to Burt Hummel's sudden grief, a boy called Blaine Anderson, celebrated his seventh birthday. He had no way of knowing in one year's time exactly, his life would begin to cross with Burt Hummel's in a truly remarkable and unexpected way.

* * *

"Happy eighth birthday Blaine!" Blaine couldn't help but grin and blow out the candles on his cake. A whole year had passed by so quickly and he as another year older. But as his parents, brother, friends, and relatives cheered as the candles had gone out, Blaine couldn't help but feel guilty.

This time one year prior, something terrible had happened. He had overheard the story on the news later in the evening on his seventh birthday, long after he'd been put to bed. A dreadful car accident in Lima had taken the lives of a woman and her eight year old son. The boy's name had stuck in Blaine's head. Kurt Hummel. Though the poor kid had died, Blaine was still intrigued by him and he didn't know why. So intrigued that he'd convinced his grandmother to drive him to Lima just so he could put flowers on Kurt's grave. It had been strange to see his own birthday etched on the tombstone as the boy's last day of life.

While he was excited to be another year older, he was saddened by the fact that Kurt had now been dead for an entire year. "Rest in peace Kurt," he whispered to himself.

The party mulled on until Blaine was drawn aside by his uncle, his father's brother, a man who had always struggled to make ends meet, something that Louis Anderson had always frowned upon.

"Happy birthday kid," the man said. Blaine beamed.

"Thank you Uncle Richard," he replied politely. His uncle gave him a sly smile.

"Listen, I couldn't afford much, but I picked this up at the Good Will for you," Richard said. From behind his back, he produced a white teddy bear. It was obvious that someone had tried to clean its matted fur. Faint hints of dirt and a pink handprint, though faded, marred the perfection of the white color. A tattered red ribbon was tied in a bow around the bear's neck. "I know he's not perfectly clean but…" He was cut off as Blaine snatched the bear from his hands and squeezed it tightly to his chest.

"I love him, thank you." Richard chuckled in response before patting his nephew on the shoulder and walking off. Blaine stared at the bear for several moments. "I think I'll name you Kurt, in honor of that poor Hummel kid."

He had no idea how much impact naming that very bear Kurt would later have on his life.


	2. Chapter One

"Blaine! Come on, we'll be late for class!"

"Just a minute!" Seventeen year old Blaine Anderson tightened the little red bow tie he'd been tying around the neck of an old white teddy bear. "Happy Anniversary Kurt," he said to the stuffed animal. "Today marks nine years that I've had you." He smiled at the toy and set him up against the pillow of his neatly made bed.

"Blaine!" There was pounding on the door. "Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you can dawdle! You know Dalton doesn't give special privileges to birthday boys!"

Blaine sighed heavily, gave the bear one last smile and headed for the door, opening it to see his friends Nick Duval and Jeff Sterling standing there, looking impatient. He put on an apologetic smile and tried to shut the door before his friends caught sight of the toy sitting on his bed. But it was too late. Jeff had already seen it. Forgetting about the protests of being late for class, the blonde boy rushed into Blaine's room and picked up the bear in a very careless manner. Blaine flinched.

"Teddy bears Blaine? You're seventeen!"

Nick pushed his way into the room and looked at the bear. "Isn't that the same bear you told Wes last year you would get rid of?"

Blaine bit his lip. "I did get rid of him," he said. Nick frowned. "From Warblers meetings," Blaine added quietly. Nick's frown increased.

"I don't think that's what he meant Blaine. You're lucky he graduated last year." Jeff started toward the door with the bear in his arms.

"Where are you going?" Blaine asked.

Jeff stopped. "To dispose of the toy. You're seventeen now Blaine. You don't need to rely on stuffed animals anymore." Before he could take another step, however, Blaine had surged forward and yanked the toy from his hands, clutching it protectively to his chest. "What the hell Blaine?!" Jeff spat.

"I've had Kurt for nine years today. He's a tribute to Kurt Hummel!"

Nick and Jeff exchanged glances.

"Kurt Hummel?" Nick questioned.

"The kid who died in that tragic car accident in Lima ten years ago?" Jeff added, his voice suddenly laced with understanding.

Blaine stared at him in surprise.

"You know about him?"

Jeff sighed and shut the door to the room. None of them seemed to care anymore about class. He motioned for Blaine to sit down, which the boy did, choosing to sit on his bed, still clutching Kurt to his chest.

"I lived in Lima at the time," Jeff started. Both Nick and Blaine stared at him with wide eyes. "Kurt and Elizabeth Hummel, though mostly Kurt, are pretty much the reason we moved to Westerville." Blaine opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find the words. Jeff went on. "You see, my mom was part of the surgical team who worked their asses off to try and save Kurt's life. When they failed, my mother never got over it. She felt so bad for Mr. Hummel, losing both his wife and his son in the same day. Afterward, she felt guilty. She couldn't bear to live or work in Lima anymore. So we packed up and moved."

Blaine and Nick were stunned. Neither of them had ever known this about Jeff. That was saying something in Nick's case because he was Jeff's best friend. Though the two wouldn't admit it, the other Warblers were sure they were in love with each other.

"So yes, I know about Kurt Hummel. But how do you know about him, Blaine?"

Blaine glanced down at the bear in his hands. He sighed.

"Kurt died on my seventh birthday. I overheard the story on the ten o'clock news. I snuck out of bed for some late night birthday cake and my parents were watching the news at the time."

Jeff and Nick looked at each other.

"That doesn't explain why you care about the kid so strongly." It was Nick who said this and Blaine just stared at him.

"I don't know," Blaine said, biting his lip. "I've just always been really intrigued by him." The three of them were silent for several minutes before Jeff looked at the clock.

"Oh shit! First period is like half over with!" Nick looked appalled and he jumped up to join Jeff at the door. "Coming Blaine?" Jeff asked when Blaine didn't move. Blaine just shook his head.

"No. I think I'll report sick to the nurse today." Nick and Jeff just looked at him before wishing him a happy birthday and leaving the room. Blaine continued to sit there, clutching the bear to his chest.

* * *

"You can't stand in his room forever Burt," said the voice of one Carole Hudson-Hummel, as she watched her husband standing in a room that had remained untouched for ten years. Burt did not know where he had found the strength to remarry, let alone go on for ten years. Carole had a son of her own. If Kurt was still alive, they would be the same age, eighteen.

Burt turned and looked at his new wife of a little over a year. He'd only moved on because he thought that's what Elizabeth and Kurt would have wanted him to do. Not that it really mattered what with them gone for ten years on that very day.

"I know Carole, but I need today. Every year on this day, I step into Kurt's room and ask why and pray for a miracle. And then I go and leave fresh flowers on both of their graves."

Carole looked at him for a moment. "And you are always stunned to see that someone else has been doing the same."

"How did you know that?" Carole smiled at him.

"I could see it in your eyes when you returned last year."

Burt was surprised. He hadn't known that Carole could read him that well. It was a sign that they belonged together now. Yes, she wasn't Elizabeth and he knew he wasn't Christopher, Carole's first husband who had died when her son was a baby. But they had made it work, and they were happy with each other. That was all that mattered.

The man sighed and pulled his baseball cap down over his balding head.

"Finn off at school?"

Carole nodded. "Yes, and he's getting the Glee Club to pay tribute to Kurt." Burt stared at her wide-eyed.

"He doesn't have to do that. Those kids never knew him."

"True. But Finn feels like he did with the way you talk about him. He told me he would have loved to know Kurt personally."

"Really? He said that?" Burt felt his heart warming.

"He did," Carole replied. "Now come on. I'll go with you to put flowers on his grave."

"Just give me a moment." Carole nodded and left the room. "Hear that Kurt?" he said quietly, running a hand over the neatly made bed. "Your stepbrother would have loved to know you." And for the first time in ten years, Burt genuinely smiled.

* * *

Blaine knelt at the grave, fingers etching over the words in the tombstone. He had started coming regularly on his birthday and Kurt's death anniversary to say hi and talk to the boy. And give him fresh flowers of course. This year, he had brought a dozen red roses.

"Hi Kurt," he said, laying the flowers on the grave. "Sorry I'm a little late this year. I didn't mean to be." Blaine often wondered how well a dead person could actually hear. He smiled softly.

"You won't believe what Jeff told Nick and I this morning. Did you know that his mom was part of your surgical team? She felt guilty that they couldn't save you. That's why Jeff and his family live in Westerville now."

Blaine was so engrossed in speaking to Kurt he didn't notice the car that pulled up behind his on the drive. Nor did he hear the sound of two car doors slamming shut. If he had, he would have realized that he was not the only one with intentions of visiting Kurt.

"Hey kid!" came the shout of a man's voice. Blaine stood immediately, completely startled. "What are you doing here?" It was not an accusation, but merely a question of curiosity.

"Sorry sir," Blaine immediately apologized. "I only came to give him flowers and talk to him a bit."

The man, who was accompanied by a woman, glanced at the red roses and then back at Blaine. "So you're the one who's been leaving flowers here every year." Blaine bowed his head, feeling that he was about to be chastised. "Thanks for caring kid. Kurt didn't have a lot of friends." The man approached him and stuck out his hand in greeting. "I'm Burt Hummel and this is my wife Carole."

Blaine took the man's hand and shook it firmly. "Blaine Anderson," he replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Burt smiled.

"Pleasure's all mine," he said. "You're not from Lima, are you?" he asked, taking in Blaine's school uniform.

"No sir," Blaine responded. "I go to Dalton Academy in Westerville." Burt raised an eyebrow.

"Westerville? Isn't that like two hours' drive from here?"

"Yes sir," Blaine said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"My dear boy, why would you miss school, just to visit the grave of a kid you never knew that's two hours away?" Blaine blushed.

"Sorry sir. I've always been intrigued by your loss. I know that sounds strange but it's the truth. I mean the day I turned seven years old, an innocent kid lost his life. I never found that very fair."

"The day you turned seven?"

"Yes sir."

"So today is your birthday?"

"Yes sir."

"Happy birthday than kiddo! And please call me Burt. Anyone willing to go to such lengths for Kurt when they didn't even know him should be considered family." Blaine was taken by surprise at that.

"Thank you sir…I mean Burt." It was strange talking to Kurt's father. Blaine had never expected to meet the man. He normally visited Kurt's grave either early in the morning or late at night so that he could make sure he wouldn't be intruding if the family was ever there.

"You're welcome kid." Burt offered Blaine another smile and Blaine returned it. "And you can visit Kurt's gave any time you like." Blaine smiled again.

Burt Hummel had told his wife earlier that every year he prayed for a miracle. Had he realized how very out of routine Kurt's death anniversary was this year, he might have thought that this year, he might just get it.

* * *

Blaine carefully unlocked the door to his dorm room and slid inside with a sigh. He was glad he had met no one on his way to his room. He was not in the mood to be answering questions about where he'd been. Meeting Kurt's dad had been very out of the norm but at least the man was friendly.

"Took you long enough," spoke a high-pitched angelic voice Blaine did not recognize. The seventeen year old jumped. Had he gotten a roommate while he'd been away? No, that was silly. They wouldn't transfer someone in the middle of the day right?

Cautiously, Blaine glanced up. What he saw took his breath away. The world's most beautiful boy was sitting cross-legged on Blaine's bed. He was dressed in white with a seemingly familiar red bow tie around his neck. He had pale flawless skin adorned with pink lips that looked so inviting. His beautiful chestnut hair was styled in a perfect coif. He was obviously tall and slender. His eyes were the most captivating swirl of blue, green, and gray Blaine had ever seen. But the most unusual thing was not the fact that he was twirling a single red rose between his delicate fingers. No. It was the pair of gorgeous white wings that protruded from his back.

"Who are you?" Blaine managed to breathe out. The boy smiled.

"I'm Kurt." And that was when Blaine's world turned upside down.


	3. Chapter Two

For a moment, Blaine just stared. Had he heard this boy right? Maybe he only thought he heard what he did. A part of him had always wished to know Kurt but he knew that was impossible. Kurt had died ten years ago. Blaine didn't even know what the boy had looked like. Furthermore, this kid looked around Blaine's own age, not eight.

"I'm sorry, what?" Blaine asked, still not believing he'd heard the winged boy correctly.

The boy smiled again. "I said, I'm Kurt. Happy birthday Blaine." Blaine looked momentarily stunned.

"How do you know my name? And that it's my birthday?"

The mysterious Kurt chuckled and nodded his head toward the floor. It was then that Blaine spotted the teddy Kurt lying beside the bed. He had seemingly been knocked off. Blaine frowned and rushed to scoop the toy up.

"Don't you remember Blaine? We've been together nine years," Kurt said, fixing his unwavering gaze on the bear. Blaine looked at the toy in his hands.

"Are you trying to tell me that you are my teddy bear?" he asked. Kurt chuckled again.

"Not exactly. I'm attached to the bear Blaine."

Blaine looked at him strangely.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Your uncle told you he picked it up at the Goodwill, right?"

"Right but what does that have to do with anything?"

Kurt gracefully stood from the bed and moved so that he was standing right in front of him.

"Everything. You see Blaine that bear used to belong to me. I was holding him the day of the accident." Accident? Blaine was utterly confused. He stared at Kurt with a dumbstruck expression on his face. Kurt sighed. "The car accident Blaine, the one that killed my mother and I."

Blaine was stunned into silence. No way! This winged boy was actually Kurt Hummel?

"But Kurt Hummel was eight when he died. You look ten years older than that." He expected some sort of frustrated retort. Instead, Kurt graced him with a smile and gently caressed his cheek.

"Angels can age too if we want Blaine." His voice was light and soft. Blaine shuddered lightly.

"You're, you're an angel?" he asked in surprise. So that's why he had wings. Why hadn't he realized it before?

"I'm your angel Blaine." The statement caused Blaine's breath to hitch. Kurt was his angel? How did he ever earn such an honor?

Blaine couldn't figure out why anyone would ever consider giving him an angel, let alone this incredibly beautiful boy. Kurt was so breathtakingly stunning and Blaine had to wonder if it had much to do with the fact that he was an angel. Weren't all angels meant to be gorgeous? Somehow, Blaine thought that Kurt may have been just as breathtaking had he not died in that car accident.

But somehow Blaine doubted he would even know Kurt existed otherwise.

"This is why they call it fate Blaine." The dapper boy was pulled from his thoughts to see Kurt smiling softly at him. He gawked, wondering how the angel knew what he was thinking. "I'm an angel. I know everything that goes on in your head. I've heard every word you've ever thought or said to me Blaine." For a moment, Blaine was stunned.

"So dead people can hear?" He was met with a light chuckle from Kurt.

"Yes, we can. But only if we choose to listen."

For a moment, Blaine wasn't sure what would make Kurt listen to some kid he had never even met. He knew that he probably listened to his dad all the time because it was his dad. But why him?

"You intrigued me just as much as I intrigued you." Kurt reached out and gently placed a hand to Blaine's cheek. The latter felt butterflies stir in his stomach and his breath hitched for the second time that day. "I'd never seen such a beautiful boy in my life. You were captivating."

Silence passed between them and a bitter memory crossed Blaine's mind.

* * *

Thirteen year old Blaine traipsed down the stairs from his room as he heard his mother calling for dinner. He held Kurt tightly in his arms. Five years had passed since his uncle had given him to him and Kurt was still Blaine's security blanket. He didn't actually hold him at night anymore but his parents always knew when something was particularly weighing on his mind because he would always be clutching that bear.

He stood in the doorway to the dining room for several moments, watching his mother setting the last of the dishes on the table. His father and brother Cooper were already there.

Cooper was home for a weekend, visiting from college.

"There you are sweetheart!" Corina Anderson said when she noticed Blaine in the doorway. "Sit down honey." She was about to ask if Blaine washed his hands when she noticed the bear in his arms. "Louis?" she stated with concern.

Mr. Anderson lowered the paper he was reading and followed his wife's gaze to the doorway. Blaine hadn't moved.

Clearing his throat, Blaine's father folded the paper and set it on the table. "Something on your mind son?" he asked. Cooper, who had rudely already started dishing food on his plate, looked up out of curiosity.

Blaine swallowed thickly. He slowly nodded his head.

"I have to tell you guys something," he said in a quiet voice. Blaine was anything but a nervous wreck most of the time but this was incredibly serious and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't positively terrified about how his parents would react.

The Andersons were an old fashioned family, having had much heritage going back as far as the early 1800s. They were all about tradition and so seeing as what Blaine had to say was not something his family had ever approved of, he was terrified that it would change the dynamic.

Blaine knew his parents cared about him. But he was damn scared that this would change those thoughts and feelings.

Still, he clutched Kurt tighter to his chest and held his head high.

"What is it Blaine?" his mother asked.

Blaine drew a breath and prepared for the speech he had formulated just moments before he'd come down the stairs. "I know that the Anderson family is all about tradition…and following the Lord's word in the bible." He paused and Corina and Louis looked at each other. Cooper raised an eyebrow.

"Spit it out brat, I'm hungry!" the older Anderson son said. Corina gave her first-born a disapproving look and Blaine frowned, hugging Kurt tighter still.

He shut his eyes, biting his lip. "Dad, you know how you're always asking me if I have found a girlfriend yet?" he started.

Mr. Anderson raised a brow and gave his son a curious look. "Yes."

"And I tell you, not yet?"

"Where is this going Blaine?" his father asked sternly.

Blaine drew another breath. "Well, I don't have a girlfriend yet because…I don't want one." He wondered if they would get that.

"Oh Blaine honey," his mother said. "You're only thirteen. You shouldn't worry about dating at your age." She tried waving it off with her hand, a slight smile on her face. Blaine couldn't believe that he was going to have to be straight with them. That scared him more.

"No mom," he said. He swallowed. "That's not what I meant."

"Than what do you mean?" his father challenged, getting a bit aggravated. This was not going well.

Blaine looked between his parents and brother. It was now or never. "I don't want a girlfriend because I don't like girls. I like boys…in the way that I'm supposed to like girls. I'm gay. I want a boyfriend."

Silence befell the dining room of the Anderson household and Blaine could feel his whole body stiffen up. This was bad. He buried his face in Kurt's fur, not wanting his family to see the tears that were already starting to wet his eyes.

After several long moments, his father spoke. "Go to your room," he said in a flatly cold voice. Blaine didn't dare argue. He turned on his heel and ran up to his room. But it didn't stop him from kneeling beside the grate that he knew he could hear their discussions through easily.

"We can't just send him up there without dinner Louis," his mother said. Blaine heard the distinct sound of his father slamming his fist down on the table.

"THE HELL WE CAN'T!" he shouted. "No son of mine is going to be gay Corina! He will learn to get over this phase or not have anything to eat other than bread and water as long as he lives in this house!"

Blaine could feel his heart break into a thousand pieces. There was a moment of silence filled only by some rustling.

"Cooper," his father finally said. "This is the key to Blaine's room. Go lock him in."

"Dad…"

"Don't you DARE try to argue with me or you will be disowned too!" Mr. Anderson shouted. Blaine heard a sharp intake of breath. "While you're at it, make sure he knows he won't be allowed out until he's washed himself of this filth!"

Blaine drew back from the grate and scampered back to his bed. Tears were streaming down his face as he heard Cooper's footsteps on the stairs.

"Blaine?" came Cooper's voice. "Dad said—"

"I heard!" Blaine choked out. "Leave me alone!"

He heard the key slip into the lock to turn it and he knew that for once in his life, Cooper felt bad for his younger brother. "I'm sorry Blainers," he heard him say before the sound of his footsteps retreated from the door.

* * *

Blaine shuddered, trying to push the memory out of his head. He had never forgotten what it felt like to be a prisoner in his own house. Even though it had really only lasted a week. The seventeen year old still couldn't figure out that miracle.

Exactly one week after the incident, Mr. Anderson had become mysteriously ill. His health rapidly deteriorated and he didn't have the strength to run much of the household. Doctors said that it was fatal, to prepare for his passing any day soon and that he didn't have much longer.

They were right. Barely a year after Blaine had come out to his parents, Mr. Anderson had passed away, leaving Blaine's mother a widow.

The only reason Blaine had been let out after a week was because his father was too sick to be the man of the Anderson family and for a while, Blaine had been entrusted to uphold his duties.

That was until Cooper had graduated college and taken over.

After Mr. Anderson died, things started to look up. It turned out that Corina Anderson had not seen eye to eye with her husband about Blaine being gay. She was all right with it. It was her idea to transfer him to Dalton Academy when the bullying at his public high school became unbearable for Blaine.

He had started Dalton at the beginning of his Sophomore year.

Things had definitely looked up after his father had died.

"Yes," Kurt said wrinkling his nose. "That man had to pay." Blaine was shocked out of his thoughts by these words and stared at Kurt wide-eyed.

"I'm sorry, what?" Kurt graced him with another soft smile and lightly stroked his cheek again.

"I couldn't stand the way he reacted to your coming out Blaine." For a moment, Blaine wondered how Kurt even knew. The angel nodded to the bear. "I could see through his eyes," he told him, knowing exactly what Blaine was thinking. "I'm sorry Blaine, but he had to pay."

It took all of two seconds for Blaine to figure out what he meant.

"It was you? You're the reason my dad got sick?" Kurt blushed slightly and Blaine found himself surprised. He wasn't aware that angels were capable of blushing.

Kurt bit his lip. "I had to rescue you from that situation somehow. And I couldn't think of any better punishment." He started to pace the room, tapping his chin, wings swaying softly behind him. "I'm sorry it took so long. I didn't have any ideas what to do so I went about asking other angels." Blaine watched him pace. "All of them thought that I should do something that would make your father accept you for who you were." Blaine scoffed at this and turned his head away. "Exactly. They didn't watch you like I did so they didn't know that there was no way of getting Louis Anderson to accept you. No matter how many different scenarios I could have used." It was quiet for a moment, during which Kurt came back to stand in front of Blaine.

"I got frustrated after getting no help." He bit his lip. "So I went to the higher power and explained the entire dilemma. As your angel, I had to protect you and keep you safe and happy. I was worried because I had no options. It was then that I got permission to do what we really only consider a last resort motive. Something to do when nothing else works."

Blaine was quiet for a second. "Why is it last resort?" Kurt smiled softly.

"It's a terrible thing to purposefully kill another human being. No angel will do that if they can help it. It's only done if absolutely necessary." He paused and took a breath. "And I certainly would not have gone through with it had I not had permission from a higher power. But I still could not bring myself to directly kill your father. So I made him sick and yes, it dragged over a year, but at least you still got out of your room sooner than you might have otherwise."

Blaine didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure if he should thank Kurt or be mortified that he'd caused his father's death.

But then it wasn't like Blaine had really ever been close to his father.

"I'm sorry Blaine. I didn't like doing it, but I had to. To keep you safe and happy." Blaine looked at him for a moment before he let a sigh break out.

"I understand Kurt. Sometimes we all have to do things we don't like."

The two of them shared a soft smile and then it fell quiet. They stayed silent for several moments before Blaine managed to ask the one question that was weighing on his mind.

"Why can I see you now?"

He had expected Kurt to be surprised but instead, the angel just smiled at him, a real sort of loving smile.

"You're my second chance Blaine," he said softly. Blaine was utterly confused. Kurt let out a sigh. "Have you ever heard of second chance life?" he asked.

"No," Blaine whispered.

Kurt gave him a small smile before turning completely serious.

"When an angel is young, made of a person who has died long before age was meant to claim them, they are sometimes given the chance for a second life." Blaine just stared at him. "Or more like, a second chance at their first one. A chance to really live."

Blaine was taken aback by this. "I don't understand."

"I died when I was eight Blaine." Blaine nodded and Kurt went on. "I was still considered in early childhood. I shouldn't have died in that car accident."

"And you've been an angel for ten years. Why would they wait so long if they thought you were meant to get another chance?" Blaine asked.

"Because, they couldn't just give it to me. I had to earn it. And after all I've done for you since your uncle gave me to you nine years ago," he nodded at the bear, smiling at the idea of fate. "They thought I deserved the opportunity to try and make it happen."

Blaine was thoughtful for a moment. "So why are you still an angel if they're giving you a second chance?"

To his surprise, Kurt laughed lightly. "They still can't just grant it to me. That's not how it works. I've been sent to Earth based on all your love and fascination and my dad's yearly prayers for a miracle, to try and make it happen." He paused and gently took Blaine's hand. "That's where you come in. You are the one who can make it happen."

The seventeen year old didn't know what he meant. "Me? How?"

Kurt squeezed his hand. "I can't tell you that Blaine. You have to figure it out on your own. But I can tell you that if you give me a truthful reason to return to life on Earth, it will happen." Blaine didn't have any idea how he could do that but after everything he knew Kurt had done for him, he wanted to see Kurt get his second chance at life.

"I'll do whatever it takes to give you that Kurt," he said, knowing that it was not going to be easy but he'd be damned if Kurt didn't get the life that he deserved.

Operation Humanize the Angel was definitely a go.


	4. Chapter Three

Figuring out how he was going to get Kurt his second chance at life was easier said than done. As much as Blaine was incredibly intrigued by Kurt, he really didn't know all that much about him. For one thing, he didn't know that the bear had once belonged to Kurt and the fact that it had been in the car accident with him was enough to tell him exactly what that faded pink handprint on the arm might be.

He shuddered just thinking about it but not because it unnerved him. No, it was because it was real evidence of what had happened to this beautiful boy.

Unfortunately, he couldn't just enroll Kurt at Dalton.

Firstly, most people would look up Kurt Hummel and find out that said person had been dead for ten years. Secondly, Kurt told Blaine that until he was living again, Blaine would be the only one who could see him. Thirdly, that meant either looking crazy talking to air, or carrying around the teddy bear and be seen talking to it.

Blaine opted for the former option. Mainly because the rest of the Warblers thought he'd gotten rid of the teddy bear.

"Really Kurt, are you sure you don't want to just wait for me to come back after classes? Or during lunch?" he asked him the very next day.

Kurt smiled softly at him. "I have to stay with you Blaine. I'm your angel," he said. Blaine raised a brow.

"But it's not like I'm going to fall down the stairs or something."

For a long moment, Kurt just looked at him and Blaine stared back, taking the time to notice the beautiful color of the angel's eyes.

Finally, Kurt reached out and placed a hand on Blaine's shoulder. "Blaine, I know what's in store for your future. You don't. It's best that I am there for you." Blaine oddly felt terrified by this comment. Was something bad going to happen to him in his near future? Kurt chuckled, seeing the look on the seventeen year old's face. "Not physically Blaine. Don't worry." He squeezed his shoulder.

Don't worry? Not physically? What the hell did that mean? Blaine wanted to ask and opened his mouth to do so when Jeff ran up to him.

"Blaine, there's a visitor for you! You've been excused from first period." Blaine cocked a brow. A sideways glance at Kurt told him that the angel had drawn a gasp of breath. What did Kurt know that Blaine didn't?

"Are you all right?" he whispered after he had nodded to Jeff and the blonde Warbler had run off. Kurt just nodded his head softly.

"I'm fine Blaine. Let's go see your visitor." And just like that, the show of broken resolve the boy had briefly displayed was gone and Kurt was steering Blaine down toward the office.

When the two of them reached the office, Blaine was startled to see Mr. Hummel waiting for him.

"Burt?" he asked. He felt Kurt stiffen beside him and thought he heard a sniffle. Right. Burt was Kurt's father. This was the first time Kurt had really seen him since the day he had died ten years ago. Sure, he probably was looking down on him from heaven or whatever but that likely wasn't the same as actually seeing him in person.

"Hey kid," the man said. But Blaine immediately noticed something was wrong. His face was drained. His eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. He appeared as though maybe he hadn't slept at all the previous night. The man standing in front of him was very different from the man Blaine had just met the day before.

"What's going on?" he asked politely.

"Oh no…" Kurt whispered and Blaine couldn't help but to look his way quickly. Burt seemed not to notice.

It was at that moment that Blaine realized Mr. Hummel was not alone. A police officer had stood from the other seat in front of the headmaster's desk.

"Blaine Anderson?" the officer asked. Blaine nodded, feeling something quench in his gut.

"Yes," he admitted.

"I'm Officer Terrence. I understand you've been visiting the grave of Kurt Hummel?" he went on. Blaine didn't know what to say so he swallowed and nodded. Was he in trouble? The officer seemed to sense his worry for he immediately said, "Don't worry son, you're not in trouble." Blaine felt immediately relieved. He could feel Kurt's wide eyes on him. Kurt knew something. That much Blaine could tell. How much of the future did the angel already know? "I wondered if you might answer a few questions for me."

For a moment, Blaine was silent. And then Kurt nudged him and Blaine finally found his voice.

"Um, no but would you mind telling me what this is about first?" he asked, voice as polite as he possibly could make it over his confusion.

Burt and Officer Terrence exchanged looks and the man nodded to Burt, who sighed and swiped the cap from his head.

"This morning, I went to Kurt's grave again, just to tell him good morning," he started. "It's not something I usually do the day after his death." Blaine found it weird to hear all this when Burt didn't even know that Kurt was standing right there in the room. "It was vandalized Blaine." The seventeen year old widened his eyes and Kurt's vow of silence was enough to tell him that the angel already knew. "Someone had trashed the flowers you and I gave him and spray painted all over the tombstone." Burt paused and let out an involuntary shudder. Blaine was afraid of what was going to come next and he felt Kurt's hand slide into his, gently squeezing his hand, sending tingles up Blaine's arm. "It said fag Blaine," Burt said softly.

Blaine was stunned. Who would do such a thing? Let alone write an insulting derogatory word on the tombstone of an eight year old? How could anyone know whether Kurt would have been gay or not? He swallowed hard and he felt Kurt squeeze his hand again.

"Who would do such a thing?" Blaine managed to whisper.

"That's what we're trying to figure out son," Officer Terrence said. He removed his cap and held it in his hands. "What I need to know is if you saw anyone hanging around the cemetery looking suspicious when you were there yesterday?" Blaine blinked.

"No sir," he said quickly, giving his head an apologetic shake.

"Did you hear anything out of the ordinary?" Again, Blaine shook his head.

"No sir," he replied, feeling almost like a broken record.

"Do you have any idea who would want to do this kind of thing to an eight year old?" Blaine was taken aback by this question and was suddenly wondering if he was being accused. Officer Terrence held up a hand. "Relax son. I'm only asking to see if you might have insight on where we can start." He offered Blaine a reassuring smile.

Blaine let his mouth hang open. He was at a loss for words. Kurt nudged him in the side and he looked directly at him, forgetting that he would look funny staring off to the side and might be seen as though he was ignoring Officer Terrence and Mr. Hummel.

Kurt gently whispered something in his ear and Blaine's eyes went wide. He looked at him for a moment and nodded his head.

"I don't know anyone in particular," he said, feeling somewhat more confident after what Kurt had told him. "But my friend said there's some sort of cult that likes to hang out in the cemetery. They worship against all things they claim to be unnatural, such as being gay," he went on. Kurt whispered something else in his ear. "You might want to start by questioning their leader. His name is David Karofsky," he said.

Officer Terrence's eyes darkened and Blaine felt a shiver go up his spine. Kurt's squeeze of his hand relaxed him again.

"I know who Karofsky is. That kid is trouble. He goes to McKinley High in Lima. Big football jock. He and his buddies are very open about how they feel about gays," the officer said.

Blaine was silent for a moment but it was Burt who voiced exactly what he had been thinking.

"That's doesn't explain why he would tag that horrid word on the tombstone of an eight year old." The officer sighed.

"We'll get that out of him Mr. Hummel. I'm sure he knows something. Thank you for your time Blaine. I'll be seeing you if I have any more questions." Blaine nodded. Officer Terrence turned to look at the headmaster. "I think you should just excuse Mr. Anderson for the rest of the day. Nothing like this would be easy to keep off his mind." He tipped his cap while placing it back on his head and turned to leave the room. With an apologetic smile and a nod, Burt followed him out.

"Mr. Anderson?" the headmaster said and Blaine turned to look at him. "You're excused, for the rest of the day." Well, at least he agreed with Officer Terrence because Blaine was quite sure he would be right.

He nodded his thanks and turned to leave, Kurt at his side. Blaine's mind was spinning. Really, how could someone do that? And the fact that it was the grave of an eight year old kid no less!

Several moments of silence passed during which Kurt and Blaine were returning back to Blaine's room. They were nearly there when Kurt let a single solitary word slip from his mouth.

"Sebastian," he said shortly. Blaine turned and looked at him, stopping in his tracks.

"What?" he asked, not at all knowing what the angel was getting at.

"Sebastian," Kurt repeated, turning to face Blaine. "He's responsible for this." Blaine had no idea what he was talking about.

"Who's Sebastian?" he asked. Kurt glanced around the hall as though fearing they might be overheard, which was kind of ridiculous seeing as if they were, whomever was listening would only hear Blaine's side of the conversation.

Kurt's eyes went back to Blaine's and the curly-haired boy felt butterflies stir in his stomach as the angel's amazing eyes pierced his own hazel ones. "Not here. Let's get to your room first," he said, smiling softly.

Blaine nodded and the two continued walking though both boys had unknowingly picked up the pace. They were apparently both eager in their own way. Blaine was eager to hear about this Sebastian and Kurt was eager to tell him what he knew.

Although they were walking rather quickly, it seemed to take forever and a day to reach Blaine's dorm room. Blaine quickly unlocked the door and allowed them both to enter the room. Kurt sat on Blaine's bed, picking up the teddy bear and holding it tightly in his arms.

They were both silent for a moment.

"Sebastian doesn't deserve to be an angel," Kurt finally said and Blaine's eyes went wide.

"Wait, you're not talking about Sebastian Smythe, are you?" The solemn expression Kurt gave him was enough to give Blaine the answer he'd been dreading.

Sebastian Smythe, a fellow Warbler who was one year Blaine's Junior had apparently been killed as a result of a hate crime. No one at Dalton bought it, and especially not Blaine. Blaine had a suspicion that dying was part of Sebastian's master plan. The boy was too snarky and sleazy to let himself die on accident. It wasn't like Sebastian had wanted to die. Blaine just thought that maybe he knew something others didn't. And Blaine would be lying if he didn't say he was kind of glad that Sebastian was gone. Sure, it was a bad thing to feel but the meerkat boy had been all over Blaine and it had made Blaine terribly uncomfortable.

Kurt seemed to know more beyond what Blaine knew fore he stood from the bed and started pacing the room as the next part of the story fell from his lips.

"Sebastian knew angels existed. And he knew that they sometimes got assigned to protect someone," he started, looking at Blaine for a moment. "He was hoping that he would be assigned to you. As I'm aware you know Blaine, he was obsessed with you. Sebastian also knew about second chance life." Blaine was staring at him wide-eyed by this point.

"But how?" Kurt shook his head.

"I don't know. Anyway, he was hoping he could die, become your angel, and then use you to get his life back," Kurt went on. Blaine stared at him in horror. "He thought if he could make you fall in love with him, he would return to life on Earth," Kurt said.

"That's ridiculous! I couldn't even stand him when he was alive! What makes him think I could stand him as an angel?!" he shouted.

Kurt gave him a sad look before responding in a quiet whisper. "Because it's impossible not to at least like an angel." Blaine stared at him. God, why did Kurt have to be right? "Sebastian knew that too. I'm really scared about how much he knew." He shook his head.

Blaine looked thoughtful for a moment. "So, what happened?"

To his surprise, Kurt smiled softly. "You were already claimed."

Blaine caught on, returning his smile. "By you."

"By me," Kurt confirmed. A smug look crossed Kurt's face. "The moment Sebastian's spirit was presented to the angel council was a moment I'll never forget. When a new angel is brought to our world, we all have to be there at the ceremony of receiving wings. I was asked to come forth to the center of the council."

Kurt turned and walked to the window, staring out of it fondly.

"What happened?" Blaine asked.

"The council asked Sebastian if he was aware that someone his age would be given an assignment that may or may not later lead to a second chance at life on Earth, depending on whether or not the higher power agreed it was not your time to go," Kurt went on. "At this point, I didn't have a clue why I was standing in the center as well. You wouldn't believe what happened then."

* * *

Kurt waited with bated breath and patience as Alia stared down at Sebastian, her golden wings shining in the light of the clouds. All the angel council members had wings of gold and Kurt tried hard to keep his eyes from the honored position on the end. His own mother sat there, her wings glimmering just like Alia's did.

"Sebastian Smythe, do you understand that your assignment of protection will be handed to you and you may not request a person from your time of life to protect?" Alia asked. Kurt couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face when Sebastian stared at her dumbfounded. "So, something you apparently didn't already know."

There was muttering amongst the audience. One thing the other angels all knew, you did not want to piss Alia off. She was apparently not pleased that this boy had somehow cheated the system. His spirit should have been sent down under, not up to them.

"And are you aware that for your part in your own death, you should not even be standing here right now?" she spat. Sebastian looked at her wide-eyed.

"I…what?" he asked. Kurt let a soft chuckle escape his throat. Sebastian threw him a glare and Alia actually smiled at him.

"Oh Kurt. Our precious Kurt," she cooed. Sebastian looked disgusted.

"That's an ugly name for an ugly girl," he said. Kurt frowned and Alia looked back at him with fire in her eyes.

"How dare you speak to him like that!" she roared. He looked surprised. "You are lucky to even be here after cheating yourself into your own supposed accidental death! What you did technically constitutes as suicide! You killed yourself on purpose!"

Gasps went up around the audience and Kurt stared wide-eyed.

"If you don't mind me asking Alia," Kurt said and Sebastian wondered why he was allowed to address her so casually. "If he did so, why is it that he is here?" She smiled softly at him.

"Because Kurt my dear," she started. "He killed himself knowing he had a way of getting back to life. He did it knowing he did not truly wish to die. And for that, he must be taught a lesson. We are the only ones who will do so."

Kurt nodded in understanding and clasped his hands in front of him. He spared a glance at his mother who was beaming at him proudly. Alia turned her attention back on Sebastian.

"It has come to my attention, that you killed yourself in hopes of getting assigned to the boy Blaine Anderson, is that correct?"

A smirk crossed Sebastian's sleazy meerkat face and Kurt felt a boiling anger in his belly.

"Affirmative your highness," Sebastian spat. Alia did not look amused.

She turned to look at Kurt, her expression softening immediately.

"Kurt honey, are you willing to relinquish protective custody of Blaine Anderson to Sebastian?" she asked. Kurt was taken aback by the question and the look on Sebastian's face said enough that he wanted to kill Kurt all over again.

"You stay away from him!" he shouted, lunging at Kurt and Kurt stared in surprise but he was held back from him as Alia snapped her fingers, causing Sebastian's feet to not take a single step closer. "He's mine!"

"Enough!" Alia cried. Sebastian glared at her. "Sebastian Smythe, is it not true that you killed yourself to be assigned to protect Blaine Anderson in the hope he would fall in love with you and grant your second life?" Her eyes were such a blaze of fire that Sebastian could only whimper out his reply.

"Yes," he said. Appalled noises went up in the audience.

"Kurt?" Alia said, looking to him. Kurt's angel heart was pounding in his chest.

"No," he said finally, narrowing his eyes and clenching his fists, stepping forward. "I have been Blaine's angel since his eighth birthday, exactly one year after I joined the high heavens. He is mine to protect and mine alone. I will not give him up because I truly care about him and have bonded with him in a way I know he's bonded with me without even realizing it." He stopped right in front of Sebastian. "And he will never love you because he has always hated you!"

Alia called for order and pounded a golden gavel.

"There you have it. Sebastian, you are denied the assignment of protecting Blaine Anderson and Kurt will remain his angel. In the meantime, I assign you to protect David Karofsky. That boy needs guidance or he will end up down below. I expect you to follow angel code and if you behave, maybe you'll still be granted your chance at a second life." Murmurs went up around the group as she pounded the gavel again.

Sebastian's eyes went directly to Kurt's and the last thing he said before they all disbanded was, "You'll pay for this girly!"

* * *

"Wow," was all Blaine could say when Kurt had finished the story.

Kurt turned and looked at him. "He's getting his revenge," Kurt said softly. Blaine looked stunned. "He's getting it through Karofsky. No one knows more about an angel than another angel. We can read everything about anyone. He knows."

Blaine was hesitant for a moment.

"What does he know Kurt?" he asked quietly.

"That I'm gay," Kurt said softly. Blaine looked at him wide-eyed. He was starting to wonder if he might have a slight idea on how to grant Kurt his second chance. "He told Karofsky." Blaine furrowed his brow.

"But then, that means Karofsky already knows about him." Kurt nodded.

"Yes. We can reveal ourselves whenever we deem is the right time." Blaine seemed to get this. "Sebastian's trying to get me to be too scared to return to life on Earth. If I decide I don't want to come back here, I won't ever get another opportunity to try."

Blaine was quiet for a moment. "He's hoping that if you see the hell waiting for you, you won't take it and then he'll still get a shot at me."

Kurt nodded. "But I know what his intentions are and no matter how hard it gets, I'm not leaving. I want my life back. I want to meet my stepbrother and stepmother. I want my dad to be happy again," he said. "I want to be able to be true friends with you and have everyone know it," he added quietly with a small smile.

"Kurt, you already are my true friend." And that was one thing that could make an angel cry because Kurt was tearing up.

Wiping his eyes with his hand Kurt spoke again. "There's one good thing about him doing this though." Blaine frowned.

"What could possibly be good about it?"

"He's not behaving as Alia told him to. He's completely going against angel code. He'll only get so far before he's brought to justice in the angel court. And if he's found guilty…" he trailed off.

"Tell me Kurt," Blaine pressed.

The angel drew a breath. "If he's found guilty, his wings will be manually ripped from his back and he will be sent down below. And there, he will never get another chance at life."

And Blaine could feel his body shiver. Even he didn't want to think about what it might feel like to have wings manually ripped from your back.

"This is just the beginning," Kurt whispered and Blaine knew he was right.


	5. Chapter Four

Blaine's mind was up in the air for the remainder of the week. He barely paid attention in any of his classes. He was too busy trying to figure out what to do about this Sebastian and Karofsky deal.

It was clear to anyone who knew him that Blaine was off. His teachers started to just let him be, thinking it had something to do with the fact that he had been visited by the police. They didn't want him to be overwhelmed. So when Friday dawned on them all with the weekend around the corner, they barely batted an eye when Blaine walked into class with the teddy bear held tightly in his arms.

However, Jeff and Nick seemed to think this called for a bit of an intervention.

"Blaine," Jeff said, crossing his arms over his chest. Blaine was startled out of his thoughts and jumped in his seat.

"Oh, hey Jeff, Nick," he commented, wrapping his arms tighter around the teddy bear. On this particular day, Kurt had physically stayed back in Blaine's dorm room. Blaine had begged him to come along but Kurt had stated that his friends were already noticing him talking to what appeared to be air.

"We need to talk," Nick said after he and Jeff exchanged looks.

Blaine tried to look normal. "About what?" he said, cursing himself when his voice cracked even the slightest little bit. Again, Nick and Jeff looked at each other.

"You seem to be enjoying talking to yourself a lot lately," Jeff said. Blaine cringed.

A sheepish grin crossed the seventeen-year-old's face. "What do you mean?" he asked, failing to put on the façade that he had no idea what his friends were getting at.

"Don't play dumb Blaine," Jeff spat. Blaine cringed again. "We all know that you've been talking to the space next to you. You haven't been to Warblers practice all week and now as if to add icing to the cake, you've taken to carting that dumb stuffed toy with you today." Blaine immediately went on the defensive.

"Kurt isn't dumb!" he shouted, standing up from his desk so fast that he knocked over his chair. Jeff stared at him wide-eyed for just a moment before he narrowed his eyes.

"Blaine, I don't like getting rough with you but I guess I'm going to have to." Setting his mouth into a thin line, Jeff reached forward and wrapped his fingers around the arm of the bear attempting to yank it from Blaine's grasp but the moment his hand laid touch to the toy he withdrew it with a shriek as though he had been burned. Nick and Blaine both stared in horror as Jeff clutched his hand. The fingers and palm were smoking and rapidly turning black. "What the fucking hell?!" Jeff spat then, crying in pain.

The commotion had gotten the attention of the teacher who was there in a matter of seconds. As Nick hurriedly tried to explain the situation and offered to take Jeff off to the nurse, Blaine tuned it all out and turned the bear around in his hands.

He was staring it in the eyes, surprise written all over his face. What in the world had just happened? Blaine had never noticed any sort of searing burn when he laid a hand to Kurt. He had always been soft and comforting to him.

"He shouldn't have touched the bear," came the sound of Kurt's voice from behind him. Blaine jumped and turned around, wondering how the hell Kurt could just suddenly appear right behind him before he remembered, Kurt was an angel. He could come and go as he pleased. He didn't need a door like others did.

Kurt had his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed.

"I don't understand," Blaine whispered. He was relieved that most of the class had rushed to watch Jeff and Nick rush off from the room, wondering what exactly had happened. This allowed Blaine the chance to talk to Kurt without anyone looking at him like he was weird. Though he was pretty sure most people were already doing that given the fact that he'd brought a teddy bear to class. "Jeff had no issues touching the bear the morning of my birthday."

Kurt allowed a soft smile to cross his face. "The morning of your birthday, the bear was just a bear." Blaine just looked at him, waiting for him to go on, so he did. "After I arrived and told you I was attached to it, it became more than just a bear. I'm your angel Blaine. Since I'm attached to that bear, I go where it goes, I feel what it feels, I know what it knows, regardless of whether I am physically with you or not."

Blaine furrowed his brow. "So, since Jeff meant to get rid of the bear, Jeff meant you harm," he finally said, catching on.

"So I defended myself. I burned him. And if he tries that again, it will happen again." Blaine thought he got the point. The bear was Kurt's eyes and ears over Blaine when Kurt couldn't actually be there. Jeff's attempt to get rid of him was a way of hurting both Blaine and Kurt. Wasn't it a terrible crime to hurt an angel?

"By protecting the bear, I can protect you and you can protect me," he said with a smile. Kurt smiled back and nodded his head.

"Exactly and I will not be too keen on anyone who tries to take me away from you."

Blaine laughed lightly. "Let's just hope after one burn Jeff won't dare to attempt to touch the bear again. But I didn't know you could defend yourself like that. I thought only…"

"The underworld had fire?" Kurt finished and Blaine nodded sheepishly. To his surprise, Kurt let out a small chuckle. "They have real fire. What I did to your friend was a lightning burn," he said.

"A what?"

"A lightning burn."

"What's a lightning burn?"

Before Kurt could answer, their conversation was interrupted by the teacher shuffling the other students back into the class. She gave Blaine a hard look for a moment.

"Mr. Anderson, you have two choices here," she said and Blaine furrowed his brow. Kurt put a comforting arm on his shoulder. Truth be told, the curly-haired boy was not really happy she had interrupted their discussion. "You can either take that silly toy back to your room and leave it there where it belongs, or I can write you a pass to excuse you for the rest of your classes. Seeing as how your focus has been all over the place lately, I recommend the latter suggestion. I don't think you'll get much learning done for yourself today," she finished. Blaine was relieved, though his teacher looked rather disappointed in him. He did feel slightly guilty but his mind just would not shut up about Kurt and what Sebastian might get Karofsky to attempt next.

"Thank you," he said, giving his head a short nod. He shouldered his bag, tightened his grip on teddy Kurt and hurried out of the room with the real Kurt on his heels.

They were both quiet until they got back to Blaine's dorm. After shutting the door, Blaine leaned against it and closed his eyes in frustration. Kurt walked over to Blaine's bed and lay down on his back, tucking his hands behind his head, wings curling slightly around his body. Blaine couldn't help but think he looked absolutely beautiful like that.

"So," Blaine began, intending on jumping right back into the conversation.

"Come here," Kurt said suddenly.

"What?"

"Come here," he repeated, lifting his head enough to smile at Blaine. Blaine couldn't help but smile back. Dropping his bag on the floor by the door, he went over to the bed, one hand still clutching the teddy bear. Kurt held his arms out to him and for a moment, Blaine wasn't sure what he wanted and then he seemed to get the point. He lay down on the bed next to Kurt and Kurt pulled him into his arms, wrapping him safely in his warm embrace. With his head on Kurt's chest, teddy Kurt safely in his arms, and Kurt's wings adding more pillowy soft warmth to his bed, Blaine was ready to fall asleep.

"This is nice," he muttered softly. To his surprise, Kurt turned his head and placed a gentle kiss to Blaine's temple. The dapper boy blushed.

"It is," Kurt replied, smiling.

"Okay, so, what's a lightning burn?" Blaine finally repeated, biting his lip as his face flushed red.

Kurt let out a sigh and held Blaine tighter. "You know that lightning comes from the heavens, right?" he asked. He felt Blaine nod against him and so he went on. "Well, angels kind of have a hand in that too."

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked.

"Well, if an angel doesn't have an assignment, there are always jobs they do that help keep things on Earth and the world running." This was really starting to intrigue Blaine. They really had a system in the sky it seemed. "One of those jobs involves throwing lightning bolts during a thunderstorm or as we refer to it, when the higher power cries."

Blaine looked thoughtful for a moment.

"But Kurt, it rains a lot in several different places in the world at once." Kurt smiled at him.

"That's why there are countless angels who have the task so they can cover everywhere that needs it at once. Every angel has the ability to do it, it's just whether you're assigned to or not."

The dapper boy took a moment to let all of this sink in. "So, you threw a lightning bolt into Jeff's hand through the teddy bear's arm?" he asked, rather amazed at this idea.

"Just a small one." Kurt blushed and Blaine frowned.

"His hand was smoking Kurt. How was that small?"

"It's lightning Blaine. One bolt of it is strong enough to kill you if you're unlucky enough to get hit with it." Kurt was right. One lightning strike had thousands of watts of electricity. He could see how the damage to Jeff's hand was minimal as compared to what might have happened to it.

For a moment, the two of them just lay there basking in each other's warmth and Blaine felt himself grow closer to Kurt. He was quite sure that there was more than just the angel/human connection there but he couldn't figure out just what.

Suddenly, panic wrote itself across Kurt's face and Blaine sat up immediately. "What is it? What's wrong Kurt?"

"Get the door," was Kurt's quiet response. Blaine looked completely confused.

"What do you mean, there's no one…" he was cut off just then by a quiet knock at the door. How had Kurt known? He didn't have time to ask because he figured he should probably get the door. But that didn't explain why Kurt was in such panic. What did he know suddenly that Blaine didn't? Blaine wasn't going to lie. He was terrified.

When the boy opened the door, he found a freshman standing there that he didn't recognize at all. "Can I help you?" he asked in confusion.

The boy was out of breath, apparently having run. He was kneeling over with his hands on his knees, his black hair falling into his eyes. His face was a little pink for the exertion. He looked up at Blaine and blushed slightly.

"I was asked to fetch Mr. Anderson to the office," he said. Blaine looked confused.

"Um…okay," Blaine replied, getting even more confused. He turned to give Kurt an apologetic look only to find that Kurt was no longer in the room. Feeling in utter disbelief, he turned back to the door.

The freshman boy was now standing up straight with his arms folded over his chest and a glazed look in his eyes.

"Coming?" he said and Blaine found himself surprised to recognize the voice coming out of the boy's mouth as Kurt's.

"You can body jump?" he asked, looking astounded. Kurt tugged the boy's mouth into one of his trademark smiles.

"Something like that," he replied. "I need to be able to talk to you during this time and I can't have you looking like you're nuts. So I'm borrowing the freshman's body for the trip to the office." Blaine was still wondering what Kurt knew that he didn't but he figured he was about to find out soon. So he took the proffered hand and allowed Kurt to lead him to the office.

Nothing could have prepared Blaine for what he saw when they finally entered the office. He felt Kurt tense up in the freshman's body and that had him concerned. Blaine had no idea angels could get nervous. But nerves seemed to be an understatement when the two of them stepped in and Blaine saw who was waiting in the room for them.

"Karofsky," he whispered, not sure how he knew because he'd never seen the boy before. And yet, he figured that he did know how he knew. It was Kurt's doing. He swallowed hard.

"Hello Blaine," said the headmaster cheerfully. Karofsky turned in his seat and gave a very sickeningly sweet grin. Blaine noted that he wasn't alone. There was another boy sitting in the other chair behind the headmaster's desk but Blaine got the sudden impression that the headmaster couldn't see him.

Sebastian. He recognized that meerkat faced boy right away.

"Hello sir," Blaine said stiffly. The headmaster frowned.

"Blaine," he said, choosing to ignore how Blaine had replied. "I'd like you to meet David Karofsky," he went on, indicating the boy who looked exactly like a Neanderthal. Sebastian wasn't paying any attention. Instead his eyes were locked on Kurt, as though he could see right through his façade. And then the headmaster said the most dreadful thing Blaine had heard since the way his father had reacted to his coming out. "He's going to be your new roommate."

It didn't help that a smile crossed the headmaster's face, as though he thought this a good thing.

"What?!" Blaine spat, gritting his teeth. "You can't do that! It's in my school records that I'm to always have a room to myself!"

Again, the headmaster frowned. "Now Blaine, there is simply nowhere else to put him. I've already spoken to your mother and she's agreed that maybe it would be good for you."

Blaine glanced at Kurt in horror and Kurt gave him a sad look. Yes, he had definitely known what was coming. Well, trying to figure out how to get Kurt his second chance at life had just become a whole lot harder. Certainly they couldn't do it with Sebastian and Karofsky breathing down their necks the whole time. Nope, not going to be easy at all now.

The headmaster left the room to get a key for Karofsky and Sebastian chose that moment to expose Kurt.

"Hello Kurtie," he said, venom dripping from his voice.

"Don't call me that," Kurt said coldly. Karofsky looked amused, or smug was more like it. He piped up with a brief little word of his own.

"I don't see how this boy could be a threat, he's awfully ugly," he said, glancing Kurt up and down. Blaine wanted to wipe that smirk right off his face. Kurt chose that moment to abandon the freshman's body and step out of it. The moment he did, Karofsky's eyes went wide and the freshman boy looked a little confused before he flushed and hurried from the room.

"Take that back," Kurt said coldly, his wings wrapping around himself. Karofsky bit his tongue and smirked again.

"Hello fairy boy." Kurt glared. Sebastian held his hand up. Blaine still wanted to beat the shit out of Karofsky.

"Stand back Dave. This is my fight." He turned and looked at Blaine. "Hello again Blaine, long time no see. You're still as dreamy as ever I see." Blaine grimaced. He hated when Sebastian flirted with him. And even as an angel, he still thought he was very unappealing.

Sebastian turned his attention back to Kurt then.

"I told you I was getting revenge. I'm winning girly boy." Blaine thought that Kurt was going to panic but to both his surprise and Sebastian's, he smirked and let out a slight chuckle.

"You wish. I know something you don't, Sebastian," Kurt said. "Or rather probably haven't realized." Sebastian scoffed as if he thought something like that was completely impossible. There was no way that Kurt could know something he didn't. Sebastian clearly thought of himself as Kurt's superior.

"What could you possibly know that I don't?" he spat in a bored voice.

The smirk on Kurt's face only grew even bigger. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Sebastian was confused and so was Blaine. Kurt threw him a side-long glance, telling with his eyes to look at Sebastian's wings and so he did. And that was when he saw it.

"Why would I need to?"

It was Blaine who answered him. "Because your wings are starting to turn black." Sebastian looked positively horrified and he grabbed a mirror that had been sitting on the headmaster's desk. He looked into it with wide-eyes and a slight panic. "I don't get it," Blaine said, looking back at Kurt. Karofsky looked similarly confused.

"When an angel breaks angel code, they are punished by a small bit of wing turning from white to black," he started, nodding his head at Sebastian. "The more they break the codes, the more black their wings will turn." He paused and locked his eyes on Sebastian. "If they break enough to blacken the wings completely, that's an immediate stripping and banishment from the sky, without the possibility of returning. Kind of like prison without parole. They're sent to live down below for all eternity."

Quiet filled the four of them for a moment before Karofsky broke the silence.

"But it can be reversed," he smirked. Kurt looked at him for a moment before narrowing his eyes back on Sebastian.

"Yes, by performing a number of good angel deeds. One for every code you've broken. The good deeds counteract the bad ones and return blackened wing to white again," he said. "Unfortunately Sebastian, I don't think you have it in you to do any sort of good deed," he added, leering at the other angel.

And for the first time in his life, Blaine saw Sebastian looking completely frightened.


	6. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor note: No Blaine in this chapter.

Finn Hudson was distracted. It wasn't because of a girl. It wasn't because of football. It wasn't even because of Glee Club. No, Finn was distracted for a different reason entirely. Over the past week, he couldn't stop thinking about the stepbrother he had never known.

Burt Hummel, the man his mother had married the previous year had once had a son that would have been Finn's age. But Kurt, the boy's name was, had died in a tragic car accident just over ten years prior to the present day. He was eight years old. Finn had never known him. Finn only had pictures of a young eight year old kid with a bright closed mouth smile on his face to go by. They were all over the house. Finn's mother Carole had even told her new husband it was okay if he wanted to keep pictures of his first wife, Kurt's mother, up.

The tenth anniversary of their death had been about a week ago. Okay, a little less. It was Friday afternoon and the death anniversary had been the previous Monday. But it still felt like it was that very day.

Finn had been in somewhat of a funk ever since Monday. He didn't know why he felt so strongly for a boy he hadn't known. Maybe because he knew that he would have a brother if Kurt was still alive. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it.

Now, he was sitting in the choir room with a picture in his hands. Unbeknown to Burt, Finn had taken the picture from the wall in the upstairs hallway. He'd been carrying it to school since.

In the photograph, Kurt, age eight, was sitting at a table laughing with a beautiful woman who looked like his spitting image. Or more like, Kurt was hers. The boy in the picture had chestnut hair, pale skin, and blue-green-gray eyes. Even just looking at the photograph, Finn could tell the difference in the colors.

He knew that the woman in the picture with Kurt had to be his mother.

"Finn?" said a sudden voice, startling the eighteen year old out of his thoughts.

"Oh, hi Rachel," Finn muttered. The short brunette girl standing in front of him frowned.

"Really Finn, is that any way to greet your girlfriend?" she asked folding her arms across her chest. Finn opened his mouth to apologize when she changed the subject. "What the heck is this anyway?" she asked, snatching the picture of Kurt out of his hands so she could see what it was.

"Give it back Rachel," Finn said, voice getting very dark. Rachel raised a brow.

Still holding the picture, she placed her hands on her hips. "Finn Hudson, why do you have a picture of some strange boy?" Finn was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say and though he towered over the tiny girl at his full height, there was no denying that Rachel Berry could be damn intimidating if she wanted to be. She was a spit fire. There was no other way to describe her really.

"I…uh…" he stumbled.

"Okay guys!" came the voice of one Mr. Schuester the Glee Club director. Finn let out a breath, feeling like he had just been saved.

"Not now Mr. Schue," Rachel started. The teacher looked at her oddly, as did some of the other members of the club who had started to trickle into the room while Finn had been staring at the picture of Kurt. She waved the photo through the air, carelessly and Finn cringed. "We have a crisis. My boyfriend is a pedophile!" Finn went wide-eyed.

"That's ridiculous Rachel!" he spat, feeling offended. She glared at him for a moment.

"Hmph! Than do you mind telling the class why you're staring at a picture of some woman and a little boy?!"

"Rachel," Mr. Schue warned her but she shot him a glare.

"Well?" she urged Finn, giving him the evil eye.

Finn sighed and shut his eyes, trying to keep his cool. He didn't have the slightest idea why Rachel would jump to that conclusion. Sure she was often self-centered and thought she came before everyone else and that nobody else was important and that she was the only star in Glee Club and deserved all the solos for herself. But he never thought that she would doubt their relationship due to a picture of a kid.

When he opened his eyes, everyone in the room was watching him. Standing up, bringing himself to his full height, he reached out and took the picture from Rachel.

"If you must know, this kid is my stepbrother." Rachel's expression softened as realization dawned on her.

"Your stepbrother?" whispered another voice. It was Mercedes Jones. Finn turned and looked at her and gave his head a bit of a short nod. "You mean the kid who died in that car accident ten years ago? The one you told us all about?"

"Yeah," Finn replied. "That's Kurt." He nodded at the picture that he was holding in his hands again.

"Finn," Mr. Schue said. "You've never shown a picture of him before. Why now?"

Finn sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. Monday was the anniversary of his death, as I told you guys. But ever since then, I haven't been able to get my mind off him."

"Didn't you say he would have been your age?" asked Quinn Fabray. Finn nodded. "Have you thought that maybe it hit you that he will never graduate from high school?" Finn looked at her for a moment.

It dawned on him that Quinn might just have a point. This was his last year of high school. If Kurt was Finn's age, he would be a senior now too, had he lived. But because he had died, he would never know high school. He would never know how to really live life. But there was something else, something Finn couldn't explain. He thought that there was more to this whole sudden change of drastic feeling regarding the stepbrother he had never known, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Maybe he needed to talk it out.

"Can I tell you guys something?" he asked. No one said anything. They just waited for him to continue. Rachel had reached out and taken a hold of his hand. "When I came home on Monday, Burt and my mom were talking about having been to visit Kurt in the cemetery. They met a boy there, one who apparently has been giving Kurt flowers every year for the past nine years. Burt was crying. I didn't want to interrupt them so I just went on up the stairs. But I didn't stop at my room. I kept going and I went into the attic."

"The attic?" asked one Sam Evans. "Why?"

Finn shrugged and gave his head a slight shake. "I'm not sure. But it was like some unknown force was telling me to do it, so I did. There are all kinds of boxes up there that have Kurt's stuff in them. Burt told me that he hated to dismantle Kurt's room when we all moved to another house so I guess that's how most of his stuff ended up in the attic, seeing as Burt still made a room for him. It hurt too much to look at it again." He paused and looked around at everyone. They were all on edge.

"What happened Finn?" Rachel asked in a quiet voice.

"I felt weird. The attic was unbearably cold and a part of me felt like someone was up there with me." Everyone was quiet. "I know it sounds crazy but that's not the oddest part." He allowed his hand to slip from Rachel's and he grabbed a hold of his other arm. "I swear that someone whispered 'Hello Finn' to me." The look on his face was pure amazement and surprise, even just remembering the story. "But no one was there. I left the attic after that. It was strange but it didn't scare me. After that moment though, I haven't really been able to think of anything but Kurt. I want to know him. I wish I could. He seemed like he would have been a great guy. From what Burt is always saying."

It took Finn a moment to realize that he was crying. When he did, he used his free hand to wipe at his tears.

"Sorry, I guess you guys think I'm crazy now, huh?" he said with a choked chuckle. Immediately, protests went up between the others in the choir room. No one thought he was crazy.

Had any of them been paying attention, they may have noticed the eerie feeling that drifted in from the doorway of the choir room. An angel with large white wings stood there, eyes focused solely on Finn and mind screaming at him to get back to Blaine to rescue him from the terror that was Sebtofsky.

Kurt wasn't stupid. He knew who Finn was. He'd looked down on his father more times than anyone else, other than Blaine. It was like he had silently vowed to protect his dad too. It was partially his doing that Burt had found Carole. Without knowing it, Burt had been following Kurt's guidance the day he had met Finn's mom. Kurt had made sure to view the wedding, something that had made him sad and happy at the same time. His mom had been right by his side, showing her own joy that her husband had finally found the strength to live again.

But the angel hadn't known that Finn had heard him when he'd said hello. That was the day that Kurt had been allowed to make his move to Earth to work towards his second chance at life. Obviously because he'd been waiting for Blaine when Blaine had returned from visiting his grave.

It had been after Blaine had finally exhausted himself into an early sleep, a nap of sorts that Kurt had felt he ought to physically see his father. He knew that Burt would not know he was there. But at least Burt could feel the presence.

From the day he'd first seen Finn, when Burt had taken him and Carole out together one night, Kurt had been intrigued by the boy who would have been his brother. He felt obligated to protect him. But it was when Blaine had told the teddy bear what Burt had said about Finn wishing he could know Kurt, that prompted him to let the tall teen hear him, just that once. He hoped that maybe Finn would take it as a sign that Kurt was there, even though he couldn't be physically.

Maybe one day, he would be.

The fact that Finn had indeed heard him say hello to him, made Kurt's heart swell and he watched the boy and his friends as they all crowded around him, pulling the giant teen into a group hug.

"At least you're happy Finn," Kurt whispered and he could have sworn that Finn's eyes locked right on him a split second later. Smiling softly, Kurt blew a kiss his direction, just a symbol of an angel's love and as a way to tell him he was watching over him. Though he had never lived to actually meet his brother, Kurt had still grown to love him as his brother.

A soft sigh broke his lips and he turned and vanished into the air, intending to return to Blaine.

Finn stared at the doorway, his mouth slightly agape. Had he really just seen what he thought he had? Unless his eyes were playing tricks on him, Finn was quite sure there had just been an angel standing in the doorway.

* * *

Kurt knew he had to get back to Blaine before disaster struck. What with Sebastian and Karofsky now invading their only private haven, all hell was sure to break loose. But the sentimentality of what he had just witnessed at William McKinley High School got to him and a single solitary tear escaped his eye. Instead, the angel found himself strolling through a park, trying to remember exactly how he had gotten to this point. And his mind searched out the memory of awakening.

* * *

"Kurt? Kurt honey, wake up, you're safe now." The small boy blinked his eyes and allowed them to flutter open. His mom was leaning over him, gently rousing him awake. She looked just as pretty as he had always thought only more so now.

"Mommy, you have feathers on your back!" he cooed, breaking the silence. Elizabeth chuckled lightly and stroked a hand over her son's cheek. Kurt raised his own hand to cover hers.

"Yes honey, and so do you," she replied, and Kurt thought he saw a spark in her eye.

"Mommy, don't cry," he said. "I don't like it when you cry." Kurt sat up and wrapped his arms around his mother, holding her to him and burying his face in her wings. She enwrapped him in her arms and kissed the top of his head, allowing a few stray tears to fall into her hair. They stayed that way for a moment before the sound of a bell pulled them apart.

Elizabeth stood and pulled her son up with her.

"Where are we going mommy?" Kurt asked. He tightened his grip on her hand, his much smaller one fitting nicely to her palm. Mother and son fit together.

"To the council. You are meant for an arrival meeting," she said. Kurt had no idea what she meant. He wanted to ask but his mother seemed to know exactly what he was getting at. "The angel council sweetheart," she said. "You and I are angels now. The accident took us away from the living world." Kurt sniffed, knowing exactly what that meant. It meant that he would never see his daddy again. He would never hug him, or kiss him, or tell him he loved him, or play tea parties with him again.

Elizabeth gave her son a sad smile. She knew that he was smart enough to know what was going on.

They approached the angel council. Elizabeth kissed him on the head and took a place in the back of the audience. The head of the council, a man with big gold wings banged a gavel on the table and Kurt swallowed, feeling a bit scared.

"Hello Kurt," the man said and his voice was kind and gentle. Of course, why wouldn't it be? He was an angel right? Kurt was under the impression that angels were good guys. "My name is Evanus and I am the head of the angel council. Do you know what has happened to you?"

Kurt couldn't bring himself to say anything so he nodded. Evanus gave him a very sad look.

"It's a terrible thing to take a child from life on Earth. Any child who does not get the chance to live and grow as they are meant to gets their wings. Children are innocent. They've had no chance to unleash repercussion on their lives." Kurt listened. He was very smart for eight years old. "But there is something you must know Kurt."

The boy was very confused. "What's that?" he asked in a small voice. Looking around, he saw all eyes on him. Angels of all ages were watching him and Kurt felt oddly exposed. He shuddered slightly, prompting the wings on his back to wrap themselves protectively around him.

"You're scared," Evanus said. Kurt nodded, realizing that it was just a thing of the angels to know. "Don't be frightened. Are you a big boy Kurt?" Again Kurt nodded. "Than I am going to share with you something very serious. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir," Kurt managed to say politely.

Evanus smiled at him. "Kurt sometimes the cycle of life is interrupted by an uncharted event. Meaning something that happens out of the blue. Everyone's life is planned out carefully at every turn," he started. Kurt stared at him in fascination. "But even we can't stop these unexpected things from happening. Do you get where I am going with this?"

Kurt shook his head, fearing that Evanus may be mad at him for not understanding, but the head of the council just smiled at him.

"Kurt, your mother was indeed meant to die in the accident," he said softly and Kurt chanced a glance at his mother who smiled weakly at him. "It was her time. Yes, young but not everyone is meant to live to a ripe old age. What we hadn't counted on, was you being in the car with her," he went on.

The boy suddenly thought he knew where this was going.

"I wasn't meant to go with her that day. I was supposed to stay home with daddy but I begged to go with mommy instead, so she let me." Evanus nodded.

"That's right. The car accident was already scheduled to happen. We couldn't derail your mother's death. It's a bad thing for someone to live when they are meant to die. Their lives become cursed. So there was nothing we could do but hope that you would survive the crash. Kurt, you were meant to grow up, go on with your life, get married, be on Broadway or in fashion, have a family of your own. But that one decision to let you come along dented all that for you." He paused and gave Kurt a sympathetic smile. "We did everything we could to give you the best chance of living and I'm sorry that it was not enough."

Kurt was quiet for a moment. He didn't know what to say. "It's not your fault," he said finally.

The members of the council suddenly began to speak quietly with one another passing around ideas. Kurt didn't know what was going on. It was a few moments before Evanus looked back at him.

"Young man, you have always been selfless and so we have come to an agreement." Kurt just looked at him, not at all knowing what he was getting at. "Here we have something called second chance life. It means we give an angel the opportunity to work towards being granted a return to their life on Earth. Not a rebirth, but a continuation of the life they lost when it was stolen from them. We only offer the chance to an angel who was killed before they were scheduled to die. Though not all of them are given such an honor," he was saying. By now, Kurt's eyes were wide.

Evanus exchanged looks with the others on the council and they all nodded. "We've decided to present the offer to you. It won't happen right away. You have to work toward it. To do that, you have to earn your right to walk the Earth as angel. That will only happen when we feel you are ready for that bold step. From there, you have to find the reason that will grant you your second life. The whole process can take an indeterminate amount of time. Do you understand?"

Kurt nodded his head. "Yes sir. So, would I go back as an eight year old then?" he asked.

Evanus smiled again. "No Kurt. You will go back and resume life at whatever age you would have been had you not died. I mean what age you would have been at the time that second chance life is granted."

"But dead people don't age," he said. He was met with a light chuckle from the council.

"You do if you're working toward second chance life. The point is Kurt, life goes on even after you die. If you were to return as an eight year old when you should be maybe, fourteen, it would be exceedingly difficult to explain why a child born fourteen years ago is only eight. Do you see my point?"

Kurt thought about it for a moment and nodded his head. "Yes sir," he said. And he did. There was no way a living person could remain eight for six or seven years. "So I will grow."

"And you will learn." Kurt looked up. "You will learn just as if you were living. Whenever you go back, you do need the impression that you have been learning and keeping up with your classmates. Not everyone is going to believe that you came back from the dead." This caused everyone to chuckle and Kurt allowed a small smile to cross his face.

Evanus pounded the gavel again and a bell rang once more. Angels everywhere started to get to their feet, making their way to return to their assignments.

"Kurt, in due time," Evanus said as he turned to run toward his mother. "You will be given someone to protect. Guard them well and do a good job keeping them safe, and one day, they will be able to help you achieve second chance life," he told him and Kurt looked at him wide eyed. "Lastly, should you change your mind and decide you wish to stay here and not go back to life, you will never have an opportunity to do so again, so do not take that decision lightly." Kurt gave his head a soft nod. "You will start classes with other children tomorrow. For now, just help your mother throw lightning."

With a soft smile, Elizabeth took Kurt's hand again and led him away.

* * *

Though Kurt had never said so, he had been completely terrified by the whole experience. As Evanus had said, he started learning with other young angels the next day, but not many. Few of them were in the same situation as he was. It hadn't been until a whole year had passed exactly, that he had gotten his assignment to protect Blaine. At the time, Kurt had been nine years old and looking down on the living boy celebrating his eighth birthday on Kurt's death anniversary, he had immediately come to like him and vowed to protect him better than anyone else could.

It was then that something dawned on Kurt as he finally began to stroll from the park and make his way back to Dalton Academy and back to Blaine. Protecting someone was a privilege and it was rare that any angel was given that honor the day they arrived in the sky. So why was Sebastian appointed someone to protect? And why right away?

In the time that Alia had come to be head of the council and Evanus had retired to a guard in the higher power, Kurt had realized how very different from the former head of council she had been. Still kind, she did stress a strictness, particularly towards those who she found disrespectful. She had once told Kurt that there was a lesson to be learned in every decision she made. So she must have had a good reason for at least granting Sebastian the honor to protect.

The question was, what was it exactly? Kurt knew that Alia would never tell him if he asked. She would merely smile and tell him not to worry about it.

He knew she was up to something. And it was as he was approaching Dalton that Kurt decided to get to the bottom of what it was on his own.


	7. Chapter Six

When Kurt returned to Dalton it was to find utter chaos in Blaine's room. Blaine and Karofsky had engaged in a physical shoving match. Sebastian stood in the corner looking smug.

"What is going on in here?!" the pale angel cried, stepping between the two and shoving them apart. He looked appalled.

"Is it true?" Blaine spat at him suddenly, looking both angry and completely hurt. Kurt gave him a confused look.

"Is what true Blaine?" he asked quietly.

Before Blaine could answer however, Sebastian stepped forward winding an arm around the dapper boy's waist. Kurt saw Blaine physically cringe. "Don't ask him Blaine. He'll just lie to you and say it isn't. Now come on my darling, I'll protect you from hurt feelings. I'll make you feel better." He blew lightly in Blaine's ear, causing the latter to shudder, but not in a good way.

"Blaine," Kurt said quietly, his glasz eyes sparkling with a trace of tears. It was a terrible thing to make an angel cry. "I don't know what this is about but you can't believe anything Sebastian says. You know him better than I do."

For several seconds, the room seemed frozen. Then, without warning, Sebastian surged forward and pinned Kurt to the wall.

"Blaine is mine! Do you hear me?!" he spat. "And I'll be damned if you take that away from me grandma! If you attempt to get any closer to him, I will rip your wings from your back myself!" He slammed Kurt against the wall once before Blaine was able to yank him off. "Better yet, maybe I'll just bring an end to Blaine's life; than neither of us will ever see second-chance life. If I can't have him, no one can!"

"Enough!" shouted a new voice. Kurt was staring over Sebastian's shoulder, wide-eyed.

"Mom?" Kurt asked quietly. Elizabeth Hummel was standing in the room. Her golden wings glistening in the light streaming in through the window. "What are you doing here?"

A soft smile grazed the young woman's face. Blaine was staring in awe and Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Oh how pathetic!" he spat. "Mommy's here to protect her precious baby girl...I mean boy."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and stepped forward.

"I am not here because I am Kurt's mom." Her eyes wandered from Sebastian to Kurt for a brief moment. "I am here because I have recently been appointed second-in-command of the angel council. Do you know what that means Sebastian?"

For a moment Sebastian just stared at her. Then he scoffed. "You can't be serious."

"What does it mean?" Karofsky asked suddenly. He'd been so quiet, they'd forgotten he was even in the room.

Elizabeth didn't take her eyes off Sebastian. "It means that when Alia retires, I will take her place as head of the council."

"That's not fair!" Sebastian shouted. "You'll always rule in Kurt's favor because he's your son!"

Kurt opened his mouth to protest but Elizabeth held up her hand and he remained quiet.

"No, I'll rule in Kurt's favor because he does what's right. Alia even said so herself." She turned her eyes on Blaine and they softened. "What Sebastian told you is not true Blaine. He's trying to work things in his favor. I am here to tell him that he is treading on a very thin wire right now. If he continues down this path, he will see flames." With a loving look toward her son, she turned to make her leave. "Oh, and you'll be getting a visitor in a few minutes." And then she was gone.

Almost as soon as she was gone, there was a knock on the door. Blaine answered it and was stunned to see an extremely tall boy standing there.

"Finn," Kurt whispered and Blaine looked at him. Karofsky pushed his way forward.

"What are you doing here Hudson? Go away! You're not welcome here!"

Blaine rounded on him. "He is so! Roommate or not, this is still my room. That means I'm in charge!" He stepped back to allow Finn into the room. "Come on in," he said.

Finn nodded his thanks and stepped into the room, glaring at Karofsky. His eyes came to rest on Kurt.

"Hello Kurt," he said, surprising everyone in the room.

"You can see him?" Blaine asked.

"I allowed him to," Kurt said. He stepped forward, closer to the tall boy. "Hello Finn. I'm your stepbrother. Or...I would have been," he went on, clasping his hands in front of him.

Finn shook his head.

"No Kurt. It doesn't matter that you died when you were eight. You're still my stepbrother." Kurt allowed a soft smile to cross his face. "But I don't get it. Why do you look like you grew up?" The smile on Kurt's face grew.

"Because I did grow up Finn." He walked over to the window and gazed out of it. "There's a reason for that."

"Oh for the love of God!" Sebastian shouted. "They've granted goody-two-shoes here a chance at second-chance life!" Before Finn could answer, Sebastian suddenly screamed with pain and was waving his left arm around wildly.

"What's wrong with him?" Blaine asked fore all he could see was Sebastian waving his arm.

"A hell burn," Kurt said, watching the flare up of flames on the other angel's arm. "The angel council has set fire to his arm as a warning. You three won't be able to see it. Hell fire can't be seen by the living even if they are allowed to see it."

Blaine was starting to get the point. He was watching Sebastian with fascination. Karofsky looked positively angry and Finn appeared to be terrified.

"And do you want to tell me why my angel is being punished?" Karofsky spat, glaring at Kurt.

"For discussing second-chance life with a human when he had no prior permission to do so," Kurt stated flatly. Karofsky became outraged.

"He merely said what it was! That was not discussing it!"

Kurt turned a hard eye on the chubby boy. "Doesn't matter. He still brought it up. No human is allowed to even know about second-chance life unless the council has permitted them to. They're still investigating how Sebastian knew so much about it when he killed himself."

Karofsky's expression changed to one of confusion.

"You mean when he died in that elevator accident," he said. Kurt raised a brow.

"Is that what he told you?" Karofsky nodded. Kurt looked at Sebastian who was clutching his arm. "You lied to your charge? Are you crazy? Lying to someone who is supposed to trust you with their life is a serious offense for an angel. I'm surprised you haven't been reprimanded for it yet."

"Wait," Karofsky said. "What do you mean he lied?"

Kurt's eyes went back to Karofsky. "Sebastian didn't die in an elevator accident. He purposefully had himself killed. His intentions have been to guard Blaine so Blaine would fall in love with him, granting him the purpose to have second-chance life. Sebastian never intended to remain dead. He's been obsessed with Blaine ever since he met him."

This information both stunned Blaine and set Karofsky off. Finn just stood feeling awkwardly out of place.

"You liar!" Karofsky shouted, shoving his angel against the wall. "You made a fool out of me! And to think, I actually wanted to help you!"

Tension filled the room as everyone tried to drown out the sounds of Karofsky berating Sebastian. However, it was Finn's sudden question that broke it.

"If he killed himself, why did he become an angel? Shouldn't he have gone, you know, down there?" He pointed to the floor. Kurt gave a soft shake of the head.

"That's what the council's still been trying to figure out." Finn frowned.

Blaine had been standing there silently lost in thought for a couple of moments.

"I think I know why," he said and they all looked at him. "When someone kills themselves, it's normally with the intent of leaving this world forever and ending all their pain and suffering for good. But Sebastian didn't have pain and suffering, and he never intending on leaving the world forever."

Kurt looked thoughtful for a moment. "His death wasn't scheduled," he said quietly.

"What?" Finn asked.

"When I died, I was told by the head of the council that mine was an unscheduled death."

"You mean you weren't supposed to die in that car accident?" Blaine asked.

Kurt shook his head. "No. I wasn't even supposed to be in the car. When I died, they told me that everyone's life has a timeline, but sometimes an unscheduled event can upset the balance and change everything. Originally, the timeline had me scheduled to stay behind and my mom to go on her own. But because I begged to go with her, I ended up in the car when I wasn't meant to be. I died before I was scheduled to. That's why I've been given a chance at second-chance life."

Everything was slowly falling into place and making more sense. Sebastian wasn't meant to die yet and regardless of how it had happened, fate said he was to be given a chance at earning second-chance life.

"Sometimes, I can't stand that the high and mighty is always so forgiving," Kurt said. "No offense to him and the rest of those still in the majestic sky but if I had lived my life how I was meant to, I would probably be an atheist right now."

Finn looked at him wide-eyed. "Dude, seriously?"

"Don't call me dude Finn." Kurt frowned at him and Finn put his hands up in surrender. "But think about it," he said. "Do you really have a reason to believe he exists? What proof do you have except for the words of books in the church? Just because it says he's been seen doesn't mean he has."

Sebastian who was still holding his arm, was watching him intently. After a few moments during which nothing happened, he turned his eyes on the ceiling.

"Oh come on!" he shouted. Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"What are you waiting for?" Blaine asked indignantly.

"For Kurt to be punished for saying all that about the high and mighty."

"I'm not going to be punished Sebastian." The other angel scoffed.

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't say anything he didn't already know." Sebastian gave him a look. "You forget. The all high and mighty knows everything. He knows exactly who I would be now if I were still alive."

Blaine looked confused. "Wait, you can see what will happen in my future but you don't know anything about your own?" Kurt shook his head. He crossed the room and gently took Blaine's hand in his, smiling softly at him. Blaine felt tingles crawl up his arm.

"That's different Blaine. I'm your guardian. It's part of my job to know your timeline and your future. Even angels aren't meant to know their own. Reduces the temptation to interfere with your own destiny."

"But you're angels," Blaine said. "Surely you wouldn't dare or dream of altering your own lives."

Kurt smiled and pecked him delicately on the cheek. Blaine felt his face grow warm.

"Not all angels are good Blaine," he replied looking pointedly at Sebastian.

"Wait a minute," Finn said. "Angels have fates and destinies?"

"Of course we do," Kurt said gently. "Especially those of us who might be granted second-chance life." He paused. "The angel council already knows if and how I will get second-chance life. All I know about the how is that it has to do with Blaine. He has the answer, though neither of us knows what it is yet."

There was a comfortable silence during which Kurt took hold of Blaine's other hand and the two of them just stared into each other's eyes. It was Karofsky who broke the silence.

"Can a charge renounce their guardian if they want to?" he asked quietly. They all turned to look at him.

"David don't be absurd!" Sebastian spat. "I need you!"

"Liar!" Karofsky turned back to Kurt. "So, can they?"

Kurt slowly nodded his head. "Yes," he said.

"And what would happen if I renounce him?" Karofsky asked. "Would that be the end of his chance to get second-chance life?" Kurt sighed and shook his head, withdrawing his hands from Blaine's, the latter missing the contact immediately.

"First of all, Sebastian will immediately be sent back to the sky. Without a living person to bond him here, he can't walk the Earth, unless he's on the council," Kurt started. "But no, it wouldn't be the end of his chance to get second-chance life."

"Why not?" Karofsky pressed. "Don't you only get the one chance?"

Kurt nodded. "Yes but in this case Sebastian would not have ended his chance of his own free will. You would've forced him out of it. The chance is only officially ended if the angel pulls out on their own."

This did not seem to sit well with Karofsky, or Blaine for that matter.

"That's crazy!" Blaine shouted. "So if Karofsky renounces Sebastian, all he has to do is get another charge and then just continue his plans?"

Sebastian looked smug and Finn looked entirely lost. He didn't know a thing about any of this.

"Relax sweetheart," Kurt said, grabbing Blaine's hand and giving it a squeeze. "It's not that simple."

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked.

"Being a guardian is a privilege. The council have to grant him that honor again and seeing as his track record with them is not very good, it's not something they'd grant him easily a second time. He'd really have to earn it. Furthermore, they know what his plan is. If they were to ever grant him guardianship again, it's likely to be in a place far away from here."

Finn was looking thoughtful. "But wouldn't he just do something to make sure his charge would move here?"

Kurt shook his head. "An angel has no rights to influence the relocating of their charge and his or her family, unless it was an emergency situation pending a matter of life or death for the charge. And if Sebastian were to lie and claim the family or the charge were in life threatening danger, that's a first offense wing stripping violation."

"What does that mean?" Finn asked.

"It means that even if Sebastian were a model well behaved angel who never did anything wrong - like me - doing that would result in stripping his wings and sending him down below. For an angel, just to lie is bad enough - to the point here if they're a council member they can be kicked off - but to lie for their own gain is inexcusable."

Well, that all explained a lot. Everything Kurt had just explained basically said that all they had to do to get rid of Sebastian was for Karofsky to renounce him. But that seemed too easy.

"It's too easy," Blaine said. "Even with what you already frightened him with Kurt."

"Of course it is. It always is," Kurt replied, smiling at Blaine.

"You don't scare me anymore Kurt," Sebastian said. "I made a deal while all of you were out today." He smirked. "It will keep me protected."

After a beat, Kurt gave the other angel a half-smile. "Must have been a bad deal."

"What makes you say that?" the meerkat boy asked. But it was Karofsky who answered.

"Your wings have gotten more black." Sebastian frowned.

"Impossible!" he shouted, running to the bathroom mirror. "He promised! He promised me protection against this!"

Kurt was smirking slightly. Blaine and Finn looked at him. Neither of them seemed to pick up on what Kurt was thinking but than they were both still living people. Karofsky figured enough to know this deal was not as good a thing as Sebastian seemed to think it was.

"Why is this a good thing Kurt?" Blaine asked.

"Well, it's not that kind of a good thing. It's a good thing in the sense that it could work in our favor. Sebastian made a deal with a bad person."

Blaine seemed to catch on but Finn was still confused. "I don't get it," the tall teen said.

"Put it this way," Blaine told him. "Sebastian sold his soul." Finn's eyes went wide.

"Do angels even have souls?" he asked.

"Not in the same sense humans do," Kurt said. Sebastian was still freaking out in the bathroom. He ignored him. "It's even worse for an angel to sell their soul than a living person. My guess is Sebastian was tricked into it. They're very tricky people."

Well, this was certainly going to complicate things. If that wasn't bad enough, Sebastian seemed to have composed himself.

"Don't look so happy." He looked directly at Karofsky. "This effects you too."

"What?" Karofsky said. Sebastian smirked.

"Oh yes, see if you do something I don't agree with, all I have to do is snap my fingers and my new friend will punish you. So if you don't do what I say, you'll be physically tortured at the snap of my fingers."

And just like that, Karofsky found himself on the victim side of his own angel's schemes.


	8. Chapter Seven

How in the world had the tables seemed to turn in just twenty-four hours or so? One minute, Karofsky was trying to pull Blaine and Kurt apart because he wanted to help Sebastian. The next, he really wanted to help them but couldn't because he was being blackmailed by his own angel. Every time he so much as thought about renouncing Sebastian, the angel threatened to snap his fingers. The only one who did not seem entirely disheartened by the situation was Kurt. He kept reminding Blaine and Karofsky that the more Sebastian continued on this way, the closer he came to losing his wings.

Finn had promised not to say anything to Burt about seeing Kurt. He knew how insane that might seem.

So Kurt kept up the positive battle, being the strong one for the two who were miserable. That was until Finn turned up one day about a week and a half later. He wasn't alone. He was accompanied by an angel named...

"Chandler!" Kurt practically squeaked. "What are you doing here?" He and Blaine had both been sitting on Blaine's bed, bodies rather close together as Kurt helped him with his French homework. Sebastian looked relatively pleased.

"Don't look so surprised to see me beautiful." He winked at Kurt. Blaine was suddenly visited by the jealous green monster squirming around in his stomach. "You knew I was in line to be a guardian. And with good behavior, I was able to put in a request."

"He showed up last night," Finn said. "Didn't take me two minutes to realize he was trying to get to you."

"Well, isn't this just nice," Sebastian said. "Now Kurt can have a wonderful man, who's an angel so he won't need a second-chance life, and I can have my life back and Blaine."

Kurt immediately stood from the bed. "You're responsible for this aren't you?" he spat at Sebastian.

"I may have made a suggestion to Chandler. But it was up to him to go through with it. This way, everybody wins."

Blaine gave Kurt a very hurt look and it appeared the Warbler was about to cry. But just as Kurt was about to say something, the door burst open. Caught off-guard, all three angels disappeared momentarily, forgetting that only the three living people in the room could see them.

Jeff and Nick barged into the room. "Blaine, what are you doing?! It's time for Warblers practice and we're not letting you skip again!"

For some reason Blaine felt compelled to look at teddy Kurt. He could see that Kurt had retreated into the toy. Narrowing his eyes, Blaine knocked the stuffed animal off the bed carelessly. He stood up and headed for the door, nodding to Finn and Karofsky.

"I'm coming," he said flatly. He looked back at the toy on the floor. "Remind me to dispose of that thing after practice today," he went on, wrinkling his nose. And with a slam of the door, he, Jeff, and Nick were gone.

Karofsky and Finn watched as Kurt stood from the floor, eyes glistening with tears and teddy bear in his arms.

"I win," Sebastian said, looking smug. "Blaine assumes you and Chandler have a thing and you didn't tell him. He's going to renounce you after Warbler practice and then you'll never see him again!" He laughed.

"Shut it Sebastian!" Chandler snapped. "You tried to use me for your own stupid gain. You made me a pawn! I should have known something was up when you suggested I request Finn as my charge. But no. I always feel like there is good in everyone. Guess I was wrong." He looked at Kurt who had buried his face in the bear's head. "You really like Blaine, don't you?"

"Maybe more than like," Kurt choked.

Chandler sighed and walked over to place his hands on Kurt's shoulders.

"Look Kurt, I really like you. I think you're the most beautiful boy I've ever laid eyes on but if you like someone else, I'm not going to make you be with me. It's not fair. I'm not like that."

Kurt sniffed and blinked back tears. Chandler kissed his cheek and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Finn asked. Chandler gave Sebastian a hard look.

"To stop Blaine from renouncing Kurt later, and to tell him the truth. I will not be a pawn in Sebastian's stupid games." And with that, he left the room.

Blaine couldn't focus in Warblers practice. He was either extremely outraged or choking tears through the entire song. He was just completely off. His heart ached and his vision was constantly blurry. The thing was, he couldn't figure out why he was this upset over Kurt and another guy, one who was actually an angel like Kurt. There was only one thing to do. Though the thought of having Kurt out of his life forever hurt something awful, he knew it was the best thing for both of them. He would have to renounce Kurt. He was going to do that right after practice.

"All right stop!" Trent Nixon called. "Blaine, what's going on with you?"

"Sorry," Blaine muttered. "I'm just not myself right now." It was at that moment, he noticed Chandler standing by the doors to the practice room. "Will you excuse me?" Without waiting for an answer, he headed for the doors and Chandler lead the way into the hall so Blaine's friends wouldn't think he was talking to air. "You win," Blaine said. "I don't need you to gloat."

"I'm not here to gloat Blaine," Chandler said.

"Than what do you want?" Blaine asked, tone a bit harsh. Chandler cringed.

"This thing, Kurt and I, it's one-sided." Blaine stared at him wide-eyed. "I have feelings for Kurt but he doesn't like me back. I'm not like Sebastian Blaine. I'm not going to fight for Kurt when I'm not the one he wants. I can respect that and move on. Will it be hard? Sure it will, but it's not the end of the world."

Blaine just looked at him.

"So, you and Kurt aren't a thing?"

"No Blaine. Not now, not before, not ever. He's upstairs crying his pretty eyes out right now."

"I made my angel cry?" Blaine whispered in a choked voice.

"And Sebastian smug. Believe me Blaine, if I knew it was part of his little schemes to get what he wanted, I never would have taken his suggestion. I'm not going to abandon Finn now that I'm his guardian but I am not going to use it to get to Kurt like Sebastian was intending."

"I made Kurt cry," Blaine whispered again. That seemed to be the only thing he cared about. It was a terrible thing to make an angel cry. But Kurt? That seemed even more terrible.

Chandler's eyes widened just then.

"What? What is it?" Blaine asked urgently. Chandler looked at him, a sad look on his face.

"Kurt's molting." Blaine was surprised. He didn't know angels could molt. "That means he's really upset. I can see it through Finn's eyes. He's regressing too."

"Regressing?" Blaine looked confused.

"When a child dies, if they grow up as an angel, extreme sadness can make them regress to their death age until they cheer up again." This was something Blaine hadn't known. "Their mental age grows but technically the physical body will always be the age it was at death, even if it appears older. That's why an angel can technically seem to grow up anyway."

Blaine decided he didn't need to hear any more. He dashed off down the hallway, the thought of getting to Kurt the only thing on his mind.

"Kurt?" Finn asked carefully. The small boy who had only moments before been a teenage boy peered up at him through watery eyes. Giant wings with molting feathers wrapped around his body protectively. In his arms, he still clutched the teddy bear. Tear tracks stained his pale cheeks.

"Don't look at me," he choked, voice oddly mature and yet still sounding like that of an eight year old boy. He turned away, his wings hiding him from view.

And then, to make matters worse, Sebastian started laughing.

"How pathetic. What a crybaby." That did it. Finn marched across the room and slapped the angel across the face. That shut him up.

"Don't you ever talk to my stepbrother like that again!" he snapped. "This is your fault!" Sebastian was about to retort when the door banged open and Blaine came running into the room. They all stopped and stared at him.

Blaine was breathing heavily. "Kurt," he whispered softly. The boy turned very slowly, his bright glasz eyes meeting Blaine's hazel ones. Blaine thought he was the most adorable little boy he had ever seen in his life. "Come here sweetie, please?" He opened his arms and for a moment Kurt just stared at him.

"Blaine," he croaked, running into his outstretched arms and allowing Blaine to wrap him in a hug.

"I'm so sorry Kurt. I should've given more thought before reacting that way. I'm not going to renounce you, I promise." Kurt was sobbing into his chest. Blaine hugged him tighter, Kurt's wings wrapping around them.

A strange sensation surrounded Blaine and he could feel Kurt begin to grow in his arms. When he realized he had shut his eyes, he opened them to find that Kurt was once more taller than him and the angel had never appeared so beautiful to him before. Blaine couldn't help himself. He reached up and pressed his lips to Kurt's. He heard the angel gasp and the next thing Blaine knew, Kurt was sliding his arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

It was unlike anything Blaine had ever experienced before. He had only ever imagined kissing someone before but this wasn't just someone, this was Kurt. Kurt the angel. This kiss was pure and sensual. Kurt's lips were soft. They moved sweetly against Blaine's and it was just like they fit perfectly together. Blaine could hardly believe he was kissing Kurt. And Kurt was kissing him back. This perfect boy was kissing him. Was this real?

The sensations flooding through Blaine's body as they kissed were some Blaine decided he never wanted to stop feeling. He would kiss Kurt forever if he could. But soon, he had to break for air. When they broke apart, their eyes met briefly before Sebastian's cry of outrage broke the moment.

"Mine!" the meerkat faced angel shouted. Without warning, he lunged himself at Kurt, slamming the boy against the wall. In the next instant, Sebastian had started yanking feathers out of Kurt's wings. Kurt hissed in pain.

"Stop it!" Blaine yelled. It took him, Finn, and Karofsky together to pull Sebastian off of Kurt. The pale angel slid to the floor shuddering and whimpering. Feathers lay scattered around him. Blaine immediately knelt beside him and pulled him into his arms. Kurt clung to him.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Finn yelled.

Sebastian barely had time to even so much as open his mouth before the room was flooded with light. The light was so bright, it blinded them all. When it faded, three golden winged angels stood in the center of the already crowded dorm room. Blaine held Kurt tighter.

"Sebastian Smythe," said the angel in the middle, whom the three humans didn't recognize. The angel on her right was Elizabeth Hummel. The one on her left was also unfamiliar. "We have given you more chances than you deserve. Harming another angel is unacceptable."

Sebastian scoffed. "Oh please, all I did was yank some feathers out."

The angel narrowed her eyes. "Wings are just as much a part of an angel's body as they are of a bird's. You yank feathers out," she paused long enough to demonstrate by reaching out and pulling one from Sebastian's wings. He let out a yelp. "It will hurt," she finished. She nodded her head to Elizabeth who walked over to Kurt and Blaine and knelt beside them, comforting her son from the other side.

"Um, don't mean to be rude," Karofsky said, "But who are you?"

"That's Alia," said Chandler. No one had even realized that he had returned to the room.

"Alia?" Blaine asked. "The head of the angel council?" Alia smiled at him. and gently nodded her head. "What are you doing here?" Kurt was still clinging to him, face buried in Blaine's shoulder.

"I am here to punish Sebastian," Alia replied.

"So than, why are they here?" Finn asked, looking at Elizabeth and the unfamiliar angel.

Alia smiled. "We have some good business as well."

Blaine's face lit up. "Is Kurt being granted second-chance life?" he asked hopefully.

"Not quite yet," the unfamiliar angel said. "But he's on the right track."

Kurt looked up for the first time since they had arrived. He looked stunned. His mom was hugging him from one side and Blaine was hugging him from the other. Alia and the unfamiliar angel both smiled and nodded at him.

"Back to business," Alia said, expression going serious. "Sebastian Smythe, you have broken angel code time and time again. To harm another angel is unforgivable." She nodded her head to the unfamiliar angel at her side. He stepped forward.

"Sebastian Smythe, for your crimes against the angel code, I hereby ban you from the sky and bestow upon you the mark of the fallen."

He thrust his hand forward, filling the room with a darker light. The black of Sebastian's wings filled out to transform them to entirely black. The halo above his head turned to stone and crumbled to the floor.

Alia spoke again. "Let this be a lesson to you. If you continue to defile the name of angel, you will be sent down below. This is your last warning." She looked at Karofsky. "This also means Sebastian can no longer be your guardian. You are free to return to your old school."

"What do you mean I can't be his guardian?!" Sebastian snapped.

"A fallen angel is not allowed to be a guardian. This also means your little deal will no longer effect him."

Sebastian as clearly outraged. Alia snapped her fingers and the angel who had turned his wings black nodded his head, took Sebastian by the arm, and the two of them vanished.

"Now for the pleasant business," Alia said as soon as they were gone. "Kurt Hummel, Chandler Kiehl, will both of you please stand and come forward?"

Chandler stepped forward and Blaine helped Kurt stand while Elizabeth returned to her spot on Alia's right. Neither Kurt nor Chandler knew what this was about. Kurt was sniffling. His eyes were red and puffy. Alia nodded to Blaine, giving him permission to stand beside Kurt and continue comforting him.

"You two have both shown tremendous promise. As such, you will be rewarded. Because the two of you are guardians, you are technically Earthbound so I can't induct you into the angel council. Kurt, you don't qualify for that anyway," she said.

"Why doesn't he qualify?" Finn asked.

Alia gave him a soft smile. "Because, Kurt is working towards second-chance life. There's no telling when he will achieve that. As such, his time on the council could be gravely short. It wouldn't be fair to rob him of that experience."

"So wait," Finn went on. "Chandler's not up for second-chance life?"

The blonde angel shook his head. "I died young but I died at my time. I'm not eligible for second-chance life," he said. Finn couldn't help but to feel bad for him.

"Now," Alia said, "I can't induct you into the angel council, but I can induct you into the Earthbound angel council."

"What's that?" Blaine asked.

"It's like the regular angel council," Kurt said. "But it's comprised of angels who are guardians." His voice was very quiet. "And it's more flexible. Few guardian angels are not eligible for second-chance life. Chandler will be one of four on the council who will always be there unless they choose to retire or their charge reaches the end of their life."

Alia looked pleased. "I'm impressed Kurt." Kurt blushed. "Don't be alarmed but Kurt, you're being inducted immediately as second-in-command, like your mom is to me." Kurt's eyes went wide.

"What? Why me? I may not even be on the council that long. Why not Chandler?"

"Because Chandler hasn't been an angel as long as you have," she replied. Chandler nodded. "So, without further ado, I hereby induct the two of you into the Earthbound angel council." She made the same gesture the unfamiliar angel had when he'd marked Sebastian. Only this time, the room was lit with a pleasant light. Kurt's and Chandler's wings flooded silver. Their halos gained an extra shine, glimmering in the sunlight filtering in through the window.

If Blaine thought Kurt was beautiful before, it was nothing to how he looked now. The curly-haired boy felt his heart stutter.

"Enjoy your new status," Alia said with a smile. "Oh, and you are allowed to bring your charges to meetings. It's encouraged." With a wink, she nodded to Elizabeth and the two of them took their leave, after Elizabeth wrapped Kurt in a hug.

"I just thought of something," Finn said suddenly.

"What?" Karofsky asked.

"What's going to happen with Burt once you get second-chance life? I mean, he's known you to be dead for ten years. Wouldn't it be weird for you to all of a sudden be alive again?"

"That's why I've got a decision to make," Kurt said, settling back into Blaine's embrace.

"What kind of decision Kurt?" Blaine asked.

It was Chandler who answered.

"He can choose to reveal himself to Burt and prepare him for his return to the world of the living or..."

"...I can have his whole memory replaced so he would have never lived with me dead," Kurt finished for him. "Speaking in which, Finn, your friends' memories will need to be messed with."

"What? Why?"

"You've already told them about me. How do you think they'll react when you introduce them to someone they've been told is dead?"

"I didn't think about that," Finn replied.

"But let's not worry about that right now. I'll think about it later, when the time gets closer."

Blaine hugged him close. "Well, at least we know you're on the right track," he said. Kurt smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. Blaine felt his face grow warm.

"We're on the right track honey." Blaine's only response was a soft gentle smile. There was no doubt in his mind. Kurt was the single most amazing boy he had ever met in his life. And now that Sebastian was gone, there was nothing to keep them from reaching their goal.

Or so they thought.


	9. Chapter Eight

"So they just kicked you out of the sky?"

"Did I stutter?" Sebastian scoffed to the man. The other was sitting in an armchair, legs crossed and fingertips playing together.

"No need to get snippy with me angel," he quipped in a testy voice. "What did this Kurt do? The one you claim is responsible for this mess?"

Sebastian snarled at the mention of Kurt's name.

"He thought he had the right to kiss my Blaine!" The other merely raised an eyebrow.

"Did you get Blaine to sign the possession contract we discussed?" the other asked.

Sebastian growled. "I didn't get a moment alone with him to even present the damn contract. It was nearly impossible! Kurt was always there, wherever he went! That's why I suggested Chandler request the idiot frankenteen as his charge. The guy visited Kurt and I figured the whole idea that Kurt was into Chandler would make Blaine renounce him. It almost worked until Chandler decided to tell Blaine the truth."

The other stood from his chair. "This is why you would have been better off seeking a fallen angel to help you. They have no qualms screwing over regular angels."

"I was one at the time, who's to say they wouldn't have screwed me over?"

"That would have had to be a chance you were willing to take. But now, you are one of them. They will work with you and be loyal to you."

Sebastian paced the room, eyes blaring with anger. He didn't even care that the fallen would help him now.

"Whatever. Is there anything you can do?"

The other was silent for several moments, contemplating the thought and looking into a glass globe on the table, which to Sebastian appeared to be empty. After a moment, he shook his head.

"Not to Kurt, I'm afraid. It's too late for that."

"What do you mean it's too late?"

"He has the mark of a council angel now. No curse will work on him unless he becomes human again."

Sebastian stared at him, mouth aghast. "A council angel?! They inducted that little freak into the council?!"

The other removed his glasses and set them on the table.

"The Earthbound angel council. He and Chandler both. Kurt's been immediately appointed second-in-command. Neither of them can be touched by curses. The only thing I can do is curse Blaine to hate Kurt for no reason. But that won't draw him to you. It's a general hatred spell. I can have control over one person the victim hates, but the rest is determined by fate."

Sebastian seemed to think about this for a moment. "I'll take my chances," he said finally.

The other reseated himself in his chair, resuming the playing of his fingers.

"I must warn you of two things first, however."

"You mean there are exceptions?" Sebastian was not happy.

"Yes. First, the hatred spell will not cause Blaine to renounce Kurt. Spell or not, that is something that he has to do within official reason. Renouncing one's guardian is not something I have control over."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "And the other?"

"Should Kurt realize that Blaine is under a demon's curse, he can reverse the spell with as little as a snap of his fingers, regardless of whether or not he is at council status. If that happens, I can neither replace the curse, nor place a new one on him. He'll have an angel's blessing guard and that can only be broken if the angel loses its power for some reason."

This did not sit well with Sebastian.

"Isn't there anything you can do to guarantee me luck out of this?" he spat.

The other regarded him for a moment. "There is one thing but it will come at a price. I am willing to do the spell free of charge, the general hatred spell, that is. But if you want Blaine's guaranteed fondness of you, it will cost you."

"Name your price," Sebastian said immediately.

"Ten black feathers and a pledge to demon slavery."

"Are you kidding me? Ten black feathers maybe, but no way will I agree to be a slave to demons."

The other shrugged. "That depends. How badly do you want Blaine to like you?"

Sebastian seemed to contemplate that for a moment. Was his desire for Blaine to be his great enough that he was willing to sacrifice what freedom he had left for it?

"Can we make a compromise?"

The other shook his head. "Demons do not compromise. That's my offer, take it or leave it."

A few moments of silence passed.

"Deal."

And the night air surrounding them was that much sooner filled with the agonizing screams of a fallen angel as the deal was sealed.

* * *

Back at Dalton, Kurt was sitting on the window sill. Finn and Chandler had long since left and Karofsky had moved out of the school. It was the middle of the night and Blaine was sound asleep in his bed. Kurt was watching over him. The teddy Kurt was held tightly in the sleeping teenager's arms.

Kurt was thinking about the kiss he and Blaine had shared. His fingers touched his lips where he could still feel the ghost of Blaine's kiss. It had been the perfect moment. That was until Sebastian had ruined everything. He subconsciously rubbed at his sore wings. How could anyone do something so cruel? Kurt was still finding it hard to believe.

His thoughts were interrupted when Blaine suddenly pierced the air with a chilling scream.

"Blaine!" Kurt shouted. He immediately ran to his aide and attempted to pull the writhing boy into his arms. Blaine's immediate reaction was to shove Kurt hard in the stomach, sending the angel flying into a wall. Kurt's eyes went wide and Blaine stared at him with what appeared to be pure hatred.

"Don't you ever touch me again you disgusting creature," he said in a cold voice. Kurt felt a stab of pain strike his heart. This wasn't the Blaine he knew. What the hell was going on?

"Blaine," Kurt started, pulling himself to his feet.

"Don't talk to me! Get the hell out of my room! My eyes burn from just having to look at you!" More hurt filled Kurt's body. What had gotten into him? He didn't have the slightest clue. But he knew this wasn't Blaine. Something had happened and Kurt was willing to bet it had something to do with whatever had caused Blaine to scream. "Are you deaf freak?!" Blaine spat. "Leave! Now!"

Kurt jumped slightly before he immediately vanished in fright, tucking himself into the teddy bear. Eyes gazing out of the toy as Blaine turned his eyes on it, Kurt searched for a sign of what was going on. And as Blaine turned his head slightly to one side, he saw it and gasped.

"A demon mark," he whispered. Blaine had been touched by a demon. The question was why, what, and how.

"Pathetic toy," Blaine said before chucking the teddy bear at the wall. "How could I have kept it for so long?" He wrinkled his nose. Kurt watched sadly from his place on the floor. He had to figure out what the demon did so he could fix it. Especially before things got worse.

He didn't have any other option at that moment. He would have to go back to the sky. A soft sigh left his lips as he surrounded the teddy bear and prepared to take the toy with him. "Don't worry Blaine, I'm going to figure this out and I'm going to save you, I promise." And with a flourish of wings, he was gone.

* * *

Kurt was standing with the angel council. They were looking down on Blaine together. Kurt was frowning. So far, Blaine had been a complete ass to all his close friends. He had even told them he was quitting the Warblers and didn't want to be around a bunch of lame singing. What was worse was he was acting buddy buddy with those he didn't get along with that well and completely ignoring those he didn't even know. Blaine was the kind of person who would say hi to anyone. The overly friendly type. But this just was not Blaine at all.

"I don't get it," Kurt said with a sigh. "Why is he acting like this?"

Alia and Elizabeth were both pacing the space deep in thought.

"Are you sure you didn't notice anything out of the ordinary Kurt?" Alia asked. The angel nodded.

"I only just noticed the demon mark last night when he woke up. It had to have happened in the middle of the night."

"Well, it's clear he's been cursed by a demon. The question is what and why. We can't fix it until we know what curse was used." She turned to look at Kurt. "We need closer examination. Kurt I know it's going to hurt for him to seemingly hate you but you need to go back. You need to try and figure out what the curse is so you can reverse it."

Kurt knew she was right. He didn't like the idea of it but he knew he had to. He was Blaine's guardian. He was the one who had to set this right. So after hugging both Alia and Elizabeth, he gave a nod of his head and vanished.

The moment Kurt returned, things went from bad to worse. Just as he appeared in Blaine's dorm room, keeping himself invisible so Blaine wouldn't yell at him, there was a knock on the door. "Oh no," Kurt whispered, knowing exactly who was at the door.

Blaine threw it open to see Finn standing there, Chandler slightly behind him. Kurt knew the other angel was able to see him. He shook his head frantically and Chandler seemed to get it but looked confused.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Blaine snapped. He looked at Finn with utmost hatred. Chandler hurried through the room to stand next to Kurt.

"What's going on?" he whispered.

"He was demon marked in the middle of the night. He's been a complete ass to everyone he cares about." Chandler frowned.

"Do you think Sebastian has something to do with this?" he asked.

"Highly likely. He already made a deal before. The only off thing is that the curse has been placed on Blaine, not me."

Chandler looked thoughtful for a moment. "Because the demon knew you wouldn't be effected. You're a council angel now Kurt. You can't be touched by a curse. So Sebastian had to compromise."

Kurt was silent for a moment.

"If Sebastian is behind this, we have to find out how he benefits from cursing Blaine," he whispered. Finn and Blaine were arguing.

Finn slammed Blaine against the wall.

"Where's Kurt? Where is he?! What did you do to him?!"

Blaine shoved back. "I don't know where that freak is! Get the hell out of here you idiot giant!" the dapper boy yelled. This needed to be stopped now.

"Bind Finn," Kurt muttered Chandler. The other angel gave him a look. "Do it!" That was enough to get Chandler moving. He thrust out his hand just as Kurt did the same. Within seconds, both teens found themselves unable to move and Kurt made himself visible.

"There's your freak!" Blaine snapped struggling to lunge forward. "Surprised you have the nerve to show your face!" Immediately, Blaine found his mouth seemingly glued shut.

"Sorry Blaine," Kurt said. "But it's for your own good." He looked at Finn. "He's been touched by a demon's curse Finn." The tall boy widened his eyes. "None of this is Blaine talking."

Applause filled the room. "Well done girly," said a voice. A voice that unmistakably belonged to Sebastian. "I didn't think you had the brains to figure that out so soon."

Kurt stared at him with as much loathing as he possibly could. That wasn't easy for an angel. Well, unless that angel was Sebastian.

"What did you do to him?" Kurt spat.

Sebastian merely smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Don't test me Sebastian!"

The fallen angel marched right up to Kurt, so close their noses were nearly touching. "You think I'm dumb enough to tell you that? I know what will happen if I tell you exactly what is going on with him. You'll reverse the curse and then he'll be permanently guarded against demon curses. No thanks, I'm good."

To Sebastian's surprise, Kurt smiled.

"What are you smiling at?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "You really are stupid. You made a deal with a demon. You really think he would keep Blaine from being harmed? Having the curse placed may have come at a price to you. But I bet he didn't bother to tell you it would come at a price to Blaine too."

As if on cue, Blaine let out a noise that was unmistakably a scream. Had his mouth not been bound shut, they would have all had their eardrums ruptured. The mark on Blaine's neck was a searing orange color. Sebastian ran forward and Blaine pleaded relief to him with his eyes.

"Blaine baby, where does it hurt?" Blaine responded with another scream like noise. Sebastian reached out a hand to touch him but instantly retracted it as though it had been burned.

Laughter, cruel laughter, suddenly filled the room. They all looked to see the demon standing there.

"Oh Sebastian, did I forget to mention? That curse will slowly burn away at his insides until he's fried from the inside out. Everything comes with a price."

Sebastian flew into an outrage.

"How dare you! I came to you for help and you betrayed me! Now I'm subjected to watching my beloved die?! I'll kill you!"

The demon merely had to raise a hand to stop Sebastian in his tracks. His eyes flashed red as he glared at the fallen angel.

"Two things. One, demons help no one. We do everything at the expense of our own gain. And two, you sold yourself into slavery in order to give Blaine the curse. All I have to do is command you to stop and you won't come anywhere near me. You see angel, no matter how hard you try, you cannot fight a demon command."

The room was once more filled with the demon's laughter.

"Enough!" Kurt suddenly shouted. It effectively shut the demon up. Kurt raised a hand in a choking motion and the others could see the demon begin to gasp and sputter for air as though his throat were being restricted. Blaine was still lurching screams and Sebastian seemed helpless for once. "Now, if you want to keep your life demon," Kurt said darkly, "I suggest you tell me exactly what curse you used on my charge. And I know how much you demons value your life."

Finn looked surprised. "Kurt, what makes you think he'll listen to you?" It was Chandler who replied.

"Kurt's a council angel Finn. They have authority over demons. Especially those of high rank. One twitch of the hand and he can crush his throat." Finn gawked at him.

"So, what's it going to be demon?"

Still gasping and sputtering, the demon nodded his head. Immediately, Kurt released him.

"Now keep your end of the bargain," he said flatly as the demon fell to the ground, gasping for air. Kurt kept his hand raised just in case.

There were a few terse moments as the demon continued to gasp for breath. Finally, he looked up again.

"It's a reverse fondness curse," he spluttered. Kurt's eyes went wide. Well, that explained a lot. "Don't kill me!"

Kurt just looked at him. "Unlike you, I keep my word. Now, be gone! I don't ever want to see you in this school again! Take Sebastian with you."

The demon scrambled to his feet, grabbed Sebastian roughly by the arm, and vanished.

Blaine's eyes went to Kurt and he looked at him with utmost hatred. Kurt waved his hand. "Speak Blaine!" he ordered. The first sound out of Blaine's mouth was a growl.

"Why?! Why did you send away the only person in this room, I actually care about?!" He was ready to lunge forward but Kurt had not removed his bind. Chandler hadn't removed Finn's either. Kurt was unfazed. Though it pained him to show as so uncaring of Blaine, he knew it was the best way to get through this. Right now, Blaine was not Blaine.

"Don't be daft Blaine," Kurt said, walking forward. He allowed his eyes to lock on Blaine's. "You hate Sebastian. Remember Blaine? You hate Sebastian." Blaine's gaze could not waver from Kurt's. "You hate Sebastian Blaine. You love me. You love your friends. You dislike your parents. You're unhappy with your brother. Look at me Blaine. You are a dapper boy who is normally very friendly and polite to everyone."

Quiet fell over the dorm room. Kurt kept one eye on Blaine's and the other was fixed on the demon mark. Slowly but surely it was beginning to fade, being replaced by the mark of an angel's kiss.

"Come back to me Blaine. Come back to me, please?" He was practically pleading. The hatred in Blaine's eyes was burning away. "Come back to me sweetheart," Kurt said softly, one hand coming up to rest on Blaine's cheek. Tears began to leak from Blaine's eyes.

"K-Kurt?" the curly-haired boy choked out finally. "Oh Kurt, I am so sorry. Please, forgive me."

"Always," Kurt choked back. With a wave of his hand, Blaine was free of his binds and he immediately threw himself into Kurt's arms. The two hugged tightly, neither really wanting to let go of the other.


	10. Chapter Nine

It was now clear that Sebastian refused to give up, even after being marked a fallen angel. The only good development concerning that was the fact that he had sold himself into demon slavery. The angel kiss mark that replaced the mark of the demon's curse was extra protection for Blaine. As long as he was kissed by an angel, no demon's curse could ever effect him again. It would remain that way either until he died or the angel who kissed him lost its power.

Things were starting to look up. Things appeared as though everything was going to be okay. If it weren't for the growing feeling of dread in the pit of Kurt's stomach, he was sure the rest of them would have lived happily ever after. If this was the way the world was now, Kurt wasn't so sure he wanted to rejoin it.

He was staring out the window of Blaine's room two weeks later when Blaine entered after class, the teddy Kurt in his arms. Rain was spattering against the window.

"Hey!" Blaine said, a genuine smile flashing across his face.

"Hi," Kurt replied in a monotone, eyes never leaving the window. Blaine frowned.

"Kurt, what's wrong?"

The angel sighed and finally turned his head to look at him. They had yet to even so much as get close to kissing a second time but that was not what was weighing on Kurt's mind. He'd been thinking of other things, things that had to do with his own future.

"Sit down Blaine," he finally said. Blaine gave him a very concerned look. But he sat down on the bed all the same. Kurt came and sat beside him, taking his hands. He gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Kurt, what is it? What's going on?" Was that fear in his voice?

"First off, I want you to know, I'm always going to be your guardian, right up until you die." Blaine widened his eyes. Where was he going with this? "But I don't think I want second-chance life anymore. This world is a much harsher place now than it was when I was eight. I don't know if I can handle that."

Blaine was starting to get the idea of what was going on. "Kurt, no," he whispered, voice already sounding broken. "Don't decide that yet. I need you in my life, everyday." Kurt squeezed his hands.

"You'll have me everyday. It just may not always be in the physical sense." Blaine sniffed. "If I go back to the sky, I can be placed on the main angel council. One day, I can become head. And then, I can revolutionize angel law," Kurt went on. "I just feel like I can do more good remaining an angel, than I can by having a second-chance life."

Blaine was fully tearing up now. He didn't want Kurt to give up. He wanted Kurt to be there with him. He wanted his friends to know this beautiful boy. "But I want to grow old with you Kurt!" he suddenly blurted out. It took the widening of Kurt's eyes to realize what he had said.

"What did you say?" Kurt asked, surprise leaked into his voice.

"I said, I want to grow old with you," Blaine repeated, much more confidently. He knew it was true. "I can't do that if you don't achieve second-chance life. If you give that up, you'll stay young and I'll just grow old without you. If we can't grow old together," he paused and when he spoke again, the words were spoken barely above a whisper. "Than I don't want to grow old at all."

"What are you saying Blaine?" Kurt whispered back.

"I'm saying I would die to spend eternity with you."

Kurt didn't know what to say. Blaine wanted him to be around that badly? Blaine had already decided that he would take his own life if it meant he could spend eternity with him. Blaine grabbed onto Kurt's hands even tighter and locked his eyes with his.

"Yes, the world is different than what it was when you were alive. But you can handle it Kurt. You know how I know that?" Kurt shook his head. "Because you won't have to face it alone. You'll have me. And you'll have Finn." Blaine paused. "And if you decide to go that route, you'll have your dad."

Kurt just sat there and thought for a moment. Blaine was right. It wasn't like he would have to handle things alone. He could do it with help. He really could.

"I didn't know you cared that much Blaine," he whispered.

"Are you kidding Kurt? You mean the world to me. I can't live without you."

The two boys just stared at each other. Was this what it felt like? What they called love? Kurt shuddered at the idea. Wait, was it possible for a human and an angel to fall in love?

"Yes Kurt," a voice rang in his head. It was Alia. He could hear the smile in her words. Never before had he ever been so grateful for the fact that the council head knew all. But than he'd never had a reason to really need that kind of help. And all of a sudden, it clicked.

"That's it! That's how I'm to earn second-chance life!" he exclaimed out loud, face brightening. He stood quickly, pulling Blaine up from the bed.

"Whoa! Kurt where are we going?" Blaine cried as Kurt ran them out the door and down through the building.

"To see my dad," Kurt said. "Can you drive us to Lima?"

"Now?" Kurt looked at him expectantly. "I have Warblers practice." Kurt frowned and his eyes got very big. Blaine could not resist the look on his angel's face. "I guess missing it once won't be that bad. Especially if it's for you." Kurt's fact lit up like a Christmas tree and he flushed red.

"Thank you Blaine," he replied shyly as the curly-haired boy unlocked the doors of his car.

"Anything for you Kurt," Blaine replied, causing the flush on Kurt's face to deepen. The two of them got in the car and pulled out of the Dalton parking lot, neither noticing Nick and Jeff running out the front doors.

* * *

Kurt had called Finn, using Blaine's cell phone, which had been kind of strange, to find out the address of the house. He didn't want to just assume that his dad still lived in the same house as he had ten years ago. It had been a smart idea because as it turned out, Burt Hummel did not live in the same house.

"You ready for this?" Blaine asked as he cut the engine. Blaine's phone had been going off the whole way but he had completely ignored it. He had even turned it off now. They were sitting in the driveway of the Hummel-Hudson household.

Kurt drew a breath. "Ready as I'll ever be."

The two of them got out of the car as Finn opened the front door, Chandler standing just behind him.

"Hey," Finn said to them both. "You sure about this Kurt?"

"Yeah Finn, I'm sure." Finn nodded and stepped out of the way to allow them entry to the house. Blaine took hold of Kurt's hand and squeezed it. Kurt graced him with a smile before vanishing from view.

"Hey Burt!" Finn called as the four of them entered the living room. Burt looked up from the couch where he was seated watching the game. "You have a visitor." To say Burt was surprised to see Blaine standing there was an understatement.

"Hi Mr. Hummel," Blaine said, smiling sheepishly.

"I told you kid, call me Burt," the man said, getting up to shake Blaine's hand. "To what do I owe this honor? And how do you know Finn?"

Blaine wasn't sure how to answer the second question. Luckily, Finn had an answer for it. "I went up to Dalton to meet him." Blaine smiled and nodded his head.

"Yeah, that was what happened," Blaine said. "Um, I hope this is okay but I kind of wanted to talk to you about Kurt," he went on, slightly hesitantly. Burt looked at him for a moment before offering him a seat. Blaine took it gratefully.

"What about him?" Burt asked quietly. Blaine fiddled with his hands in his lap, contemplating how best to start the conversation. Burt had taken a seat in an armchair and though he couldn't see him, Blaine felt Kurt seated beside him on the couch. Kurt was still holding onto his hand. He gave it a gentle encouraging squeeze.

Blaine bit his lip. "Burt, this may be an odd question but do you believe in angels?" he asked.

Burt just looked at him for a moment. "Sure kid. I like to think that Kurt's mom is an angel looking down on me."

"Elizabeth," Blaine murmured without thinking.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" Blaine became aware that Burt had never told him Kurt's mom's name.

"Oh, I remembered it from the news brief ten years ago," he said quickly, not sure how he had come up with it so quickly. "um, do you believe Kurt is an angel?"

Burt looked at him for several moments, seemingly lost in thought.

"As innocent as Kurt was," he said finally. "I have no doubt that he is an angel."

Blaine smiled softly and subconsciously looked over next to him. Feeling Kurt's hand in his still, he gently squeezed it. Blaine knew that it was now or never. Burt was a good man. He believed in miracles. Hopefully, he would believe in this one.

"I know you want a miracle Burt," he said. Burt sighed.

"I've been praying for a miracle for ten years kid. I've never gotten one but that doesn't mean I plan on giving up."

Blaine smiled softly. "What if I were to tell you that all that praying is about to pay off?"

"What are you getting at kid?" Burt did not seem angry with Blaine at all. In fact he seemed rather intrigued.

Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand, prompting him to go on. So Blaine took a deep breath and did.

"Kurt is an angel Burt." Burt looked at him with wide eyes. "In fact, he's sitting beside me right now." He gave Kurt's hand a return squeeze and both boys held their breath.

"He...he's here?" Burt asked hesitantly. Blaine looked toward Kurt for a moment although he couldn't see him. Somehow he knew, this was Kurt's cue.

"Yeah dad," Kurt said quietly. "I'm here." Burt's eyes went wide as saucers. Kurt went on. "I can show myself but I want you to know first, I kind of grew up. There's a reason for that. I promise I'll explain it."

Burt looked positively speechless. Finn was leaning on the back of the couch. His hands were placed between Blaine and Kurt. He was watching curiously.

"It's true Burt," Finn said. "I've seen him."

Blaine nodded his head and smiled. "He's my guardian angel Burt. And he's absolutely beautiful." The curly-haired boy beamed with pride. "His wings are silver. They used to be white but he was promoted to the Earthbound angel council. So now they're silver."

"Earthbound angel council?" Burt asked.

"Yeah dad," Kurt replied. "It's like the angel council, only it's made up of angels who spend a majority of their time on Earth. Like me. I'm working towards something dad, something that will be the greatest miracle you will ever experience." Blaine could hear the smile in his voice.

Burt was silent for a moment. "Can I see you Kurt?" he finally asked, voice unusually quiet.

"Of course."

For a moment a bright glow filled the room as Kurt made himself visible to everyone. Burt just stared, tears filling his eyes as he was met with the sight of his son for the first time in ten years.

"I told you he was beautiful," Blaine said, gazing at Kurt in admiration. All Kurt could do was blush. "It's true," Blaine insisted. Kurt playfully shoved him in the shoulder and Blaine laughed. The smile gracing Blaine's face was enough to melt Kurt into a million pieces. Yes he was definitely falling for his charge.

Burt seemed to finally find his voice. "You were saying about a miracle?"

It was Finn who answered. "They've granted him the opportunity of second-chance life Burt," he said with a smile.

"Who is they and what is second-chance life?"

Kurt smiled. "They is the angel council and second-chance life means I'll be alive again. I'll get my life back. My death was unscheduled dad. I wasn't supposed to die in that car accident. As such, I'm being given the chance to possibly be able to live my life out right."

Burt just stared at his son for a moment. "You mean reversing your death?" he asked in a really quiet voice. Kurt nodded. "How is that possible? Not that it wouldn't make me happy or anything."

"I didn't think it was either," Kurt said. He was still holding Blaine's hand. "But I want that second-chance life. That's why I wanted to see you."

"Kurt had two choices Burt," Blaine spoke up. "He could have had your memory altered so you never even knew he had died and thought he'd been alive all along or to reveal himself to you and let you know exactly what is going on. As you can see, he chose the latter."

Burt didn't know what to say. He was speechless no less. How did he ever account for what was going on? Everything he was learning now was simply incredible and he couldn't believe any of it was happening. He was going to get his son back. But he would have to remember that Kurt was no longer a child. He was a teenager now. Sure this meant that Burt would miss out on ten years of Kurt's life but that was a price he was willing to pay for the chance to have Kurt back.

"What about your mom?" he asked. Kurt smiled at him.

"Mom's great dad. She's second-in-command on the angel council. That means when Alia retires, mom will take over operations. She'll be in charge of everything. And she wants this for me."

There was a brief silence before Burt asked one question the rest of them hadn't thought of.

"What about Carole?"

Kurt, Blaine, and Finn all looked at each other, mulling over the question. Burt was right. What about his new wife? It wasn't fair to leave her out of the loop. Especially when she would be the only one.

"We tell her too," Kurt finally said. "I mean, Finn knows, you know. It's only fair that she know too right?"

Burt, Finn, and Blaine all looked at each other. As if to solve this whole thing by fate, Carole entered the living room just then.

"Hi boys, what do you want..." She cut off when she saw Blaine and a boy who seemed to be wearing wings on his back sitting on the couch. All four of them were looking at her with stunned expressions. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I guess we have no choice now," Finn stated.

Carole set her bag down on the table and folded her arms across her chest. "Would one of you kindly explain what is going on?" she asked. It was clear that she hadn't had the best of days. "I recognize him from the cemetery," she said to Blaine. "But who is he?"

Burt rubbed his hands together nervously. Kurt stood up, his wings opening a little more as they were freed from the suppression of the back of the couch.

"Hello Mrs. Hudson-Hummel," he said politely, sticking out a hand for her to shake. She did so but in a very confused manner. "I'm Kurt, your stepson." Carole froze. There was no telling what she had expected but it certainly hadn't been that.

"You're an angel," Carole whispered. Kurt was surprised with how she seemed to catch on so quickly. "You're like Chandler, aren't you?" That only served to increase Kurt's surprise and the pale angel looked over at Finn, who looked just as surprised as he was.

"She knows about Chandler?" Kurt asked Finn. The latter shrugged.

"I'm just as clueless as you are dude," Finn said. It seemed that it was now Carole's turn to explain things.

"Of course I do. Christopher told me you had a guardian angel Finn."

"Christopher?" Kurt asked. "You mean Finn's dad?" Finn was stunned. He didn't know how Kurt knew that. He'd never told him.

Carole nodded, a small smile on her face. "Yes, he's my guardian angel."

"Wait a minute Carole," Burt said. "You know about all this angel stuff?" She nodded again. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because she's not supposed to," said a new voice. They all turned to see an angel with white wings leaning against the doorway to the living room. "Hello, I'm Christopher," he said, giving them all a smile. "And thank you Burt for taking such good care of my wife and son."

Burt nodded his head. "I don't get it. What do you mean she's not supposed to?"

Kurt was the one who answered. "Humans aren't supposed to know about us unless we decide they have a reason to. Carole could have gotten in trouble for telling you about Christopher and so could Christopher."

"You mean like how Sebastian was hell burned for blurting out the second-chance life thing to me?" Finn asked. Kurt nodded.

"Exactly," he replied.

Christopher looked at Finn. "I'm so proud of you son. I may not have been here to really watch you grow but I watched you grow from the sky. You're a really good kid," he said.

"Thanks dad."

Christopher turned his eyes on Kurt. "And Kurt, your mother couldn't be prouder of you and what you've accomplished in your time as an angel. She knows you'll be successful when you return to life on Earth."

Carole looked at Kurt with wide eyes. "Kurt, you're being granted second-chance life?" she asked.

"I'm working towards it, yes." Carole's response was to wrap him in a hug. Kurt was caught off-guard but he hugged her back all the same.

"Elizabeth has no doubts you'll achieve it Kurt," Christopher said. "So far you've been doing everything right."

Kurt frowned. "Even doubting that I can handle it?" he asked.

A smiled graced Christopher's face. "That's common. The question is whether or not you have the strength to push through that doubt." Kurt looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Well, I'm determined to push through that feeling of doubt," he finally said. At his words, Blaine leaped up from the couch and wrapped him in his arms. Kurt laughed lightly and squeezed back. He knew he had just made Blaine very happy. He couldn't believe he had ever considered turning second-chance life down.


	11. Chapter Ten

Kurt could hardly believe that things had gone so well with his dad. It was an even better surprise that his stepmom knew all about everything already because of Christopher. Kurt had never met Finn's dad before despite the man having been an angel eight years longer than himself. But he was glad for his involvement in the whole situation and it made letting Carole in a lot easier.

He and Blaine were now back at Dalton and Blaine was being chewed out by Trent, who had been inducted to the Warblers council after Wes and David had graduated the year before. Kurt found the entire thing amusing as he sat on Blaine's bed with a grin plastered across his face.

"You can't just take off and skip practice without notifying one of us!" Trent shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. Nick and Jeff, who were his other two council members stood behind him, arms folded across their chests.

"I'm sorry but I had an emergency engagement," Blaine replied, quite calmly. Trent frowned.

"Oh please Blaine. Nick and Jeff saw you drive off in your car. And they also saw your passenger door shut though they noted no one was in the car but you! You wanna explain that?"

Kurt and Blaine both froze. Well shit, Kurt had been spotted getting into the car without being spotted. "Time to tell the truth Kurt. They can keep the secret." Alia's voice in his head stunned him. She wanted him to tell them what was really going on? The angel cleared his throat and Blaine turned to look at him.

"Alia told me to tell them," he said. Blaine's eyes went wide as he threw his gaze back to his friends.

"What?" he asked, fully aware that he was talking to air in front of the three.

Kurt stood up. He walked across the room and shut the door, which had been left slightly ajar, prompting the other three to jump.

"Did that door just shut by itself?" Jeff asked, eyes wide and frightened.

"Unless we're both seeing things, yes, it did," Nick said.

Trent looked back at Blaine. "You have a ghost in your room."

Blaine chuckled and walked over to the door where Kurt was still standing. He slid his hand into his and smiled warmly at him.

"Actually, he's an angel, not a ghost," he said, giving Kurt's hand a squeeze. Kurt still didn't reveal himself to the other three who were all gaping at him now. It was clear that they thought he had lost his mind or something.

Trent looked skeptical. "Blaine, angels don't exist," he said.

"I resent that!" Kurt stated and the three boys all jumped. With those words, the pale boy allowed himself to be viewed by Trent, Nick, and Jeff, materializing out of thin air as was normal for him. He fixed Trent with his bitch glare, his wings wrapping around his body. "You should feel honored! The only reason I'm allowing you three to see me is because Alia gave me permission to."

"Who's Alia?" Nick asked.

"The head of the angel council," Blaine supplied quickly. He was not pleased with Trent at the moment. The boy had pretty much just offended Kurt.

"Now, because your my charge's friends, I'll let the comment slide but don't get used to it. One day, I will be here permanently. And you don't want to be on the receiving end of my bitch wrath!" Trent was clearly taken aback. It was not a surprise that he hadn't expected any of this.

"What do you mean one day you'll be here permanently?" Jeff asked.

Kurt turned to look at him. "One day, I will live again. But I don't think any of you have earned the right to know how." He sneered.

Jeff and Nick both threw up their hands in surrender.

"Hey man, we didn't say anything!" Jeff cried. Kurt gave him a look.

"You're Jeff Sterling, aren't you?" Jeff was completely surprised by this. He could only nod his head. Blaine was giving him a strange look, mainly because he remembered what Jeff had told him the day Kurt had first appeared. "Your mom was part of my surgical team. She took it hard. Is she doing any better?"

Realization suddenly dawned on Jeff's face. "Oh my God! You're Kurt Hummel!" Nick's eyes went wide. Trent furrowed his brow in confusion. "That's why Blaine didn't want to get rid of that teddy bear!"

A knowing smile crossed Kurt's face and Blaine reluctantly let go of his hand, stepping forward. "Actually, that first morning, the bear was just a bear. I didn't know about Kurt until I came back from visiting his grave that afternoon."

Nick looked at him for a moment. "You opted to fake sick so you could drive two hours to Lima and visit the grave of a kid you didn't know?" he asked.

Blaine narrowed his gaze at him. "He died on my birthday Nick. Would that not intrigue you? What if Jeff had died on your birthday?" That shut Nick up. "Thought so."

"Angel or no angel," Trent said, "That doesn't excuse you for skipping practice." Kurt hardened his expression and when he spoke, his voice was cold.

"Blaine was doing me a favor by taking me to see my father. It was highly important to my progress of receiving life again!" he spat. "And don't say I could have just gone on my own. How the hell would you feel if your dead son just all of a sudden appeared out of nowhere and said, 'look dad, I'm here and I'm coming back!'? It's really not that simple! And you, as Blaine's friend should both respect and understand that!"

Kurt was fuming now and Blaine stepped forward, wrapping the angel tightly in his arms. He gave Trent a disapproving look as Kurt buried his face in his neck. Blaine could feel the press of hot tears marring his skin and that did nothing to help his growing anger at his friend.

"I think the three of you should leave," he said shortly, one hand stroking Kurt's back gently. They opened their mouths to protest but Blaine stopped them. "Now!" he spat. The three of them shuffled out of the room. Blaine moved them to the bed and sat down, pulling Kurt ever closer to him. He dropped a gentle kiss to his head. One hand stroked the feathers of his wings.

"Your friends hate me," he croaked. Blaine just tried to sooth him with his loving touch.

"They're just jealous. Those three have always been the ones I'm closest to because they're all gay like me," Blaine started.

"Sebastian's gay," Kurt pointed out suddenly.

"Yes but unlike Jeff, Nick, and Trent, he was an uncaring sleazeball." That got a chuckle out of Kurt and the boy pulled away slightly so that he could look at Blaine.

"You're amazing Blaine. I couldn't ask for a better charge." He allowed a small smile to cross his face. He probably should have worried about what Blaine's friends would do with the new information but Alia had said he could trust them to keep the secret and Alia knew all.

Blaine smiled back. "I hoped you would think so." Kurt blushed. "I like it when you blush. It shows that angels are still human in some ways." That made Kurt blush even more. "You're beautiful Kurt. I can't imagine my life without you."

Kurt stared at him for several moments before doing the one thing he'd been wanting to do again for a long time. He surged forward and pressed their lips together in a sweet kiss. Blaine's eyes fluttered shut and he wrapped his arms even tighter around the boy as Kurt fisted his hands in Blaine's blazer.

"You are my everything Blaine," he whispered when they finally broke apart. Blaine smiled in return and pressed their lips back together in another searing kiss, wanting nothing more than to know all of this beautiful boy.

* * *

Down in the Warblers practice room, Trent was pacing in front of Jeff and Nick. He had a strange expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" Jeff asked. Trent finally stopped pacing and looked over at him.

"No," he said. "Has Blaine gone off the deep end? He's neglecting his friends and everything that's important to him for some stupid angel!" Jeff and Nick stared at him wide-eyed.

"I would advise you not to call my son stupid young man," said a voice and all three boys turned to see Elizabeth standing in the room, her arms folded and a disappointed expression on her face. She wasn't alone. Alia was with her and the council head did not look pleased.

She stepped forward as the three boys continued to gawk.

"I gave Kurt permission to reveal himself to you because as Blaine's friends, I thought the three of you would be supportive. Clearly, I was misinformed." Jeff and Nick looked horrified.

"We don't have anything against it!" Jeff said quickly. Alia graced him with a smile.

"No, you and your friend Nick are fine Mr. Sterling." Her gaze went back to Trent as Jeff and Nick sighed in relief. "You, however have proven yourself to be quite selfish. I was wrong to entrust Kurt's presence to you. It's not even about Kurt being Blaine's guardian angel for you. It's about Kurt being someone Blaine is firmly attached to. You like Blaine and you think that now that Sebastian is out of the picture, you finally have a chance. And now suddenly here's this angel, who is clearly much more attractive and graceful than you are and he has placed himself in the way of your finally clear path. Face it Mr. Nixon, you just cannot accept the fact that Blaine just doesn't see you as more than a friend."

Trent looked positively stunned. Had he really just been psychologically analyzed by a woman with gold wings protruding from her back? The worst part was that she was right. Trent had by no means ever been a selfish person. But he was so elated that Sebastian was out of the way and he could finally go after Blaine with confidence, that it had driven a knife into his heart when he realized there was someone new who proposed an obstacle. All he wanted to do was get rid of the new competition. Clearly that was not going to happen and the bad thing was, this time it appeared Blaine was actually interested in his pursuer.

"Also, I might remind you that Kurt is Blaine's guardian angel. His first priority is making sure that Blaine is safe, not falling in love with him. And whether he does fall for him or not is not up to your discretion. Frankly, it may play a large part in Kurt's return to life on Earth."

Alia had just in a sense revealed exactly what it was that would grant Kurt's second-chance life. Not that the three of them would get that. Kurt had already decided they weren't worthy of knowing all the details.

The council head glanced at Elizabeth and the two of them passed a silent agreement. Turning back to face Trent, she walked right up to him and placed her hand on his forehead. Trent didn't dare move.

"As such, we have decided that the best course of action is for you to forget you have ever met Kurt. You can know him again when he's human." She pressed her hand firmly into Trent's forehead and the boy stumbled back a moment before, falling onto the couch and losing consciousness. Alia turned to face Nick and Jeff. "I trust you two to tell no one about Kurt's existence and when he is human again, you are to act as though you are meeting him for the first time. In fact for safety measures, I'll make sure your memory is wiped when that happens so you don't slip up." The two boys nodded in understanding. "Now, you have to come up with a story as to why your friend is unconscious for when he wakes up. Good day."

With a flourish, she and Elizabeth both vanished.

* * *

Kurt and Blaine were still curled together on Blaine's bed and Blaine was calmly stroking Kurt's wings. Both their lips were swollen from kissing and an air of contentment surrounded them.

Suddenly, Kurt sat up, eyes going wide. Blaine became immediately concerned.

"Kurt what's wrong?" Kurt looked back at him, gracing him with a beautiful smile and kissing the tip of his nose.

"Nothing honey. Alia has erased Trent's memory of me. He was being selfish. Apparently, he saw me as an obstacle in his way and after having to deal with Sebastian for so long, he was not taking lightly to someone else blocking his path." Blaine's eyes widened as realization hit him.

"Oh my God! Trent likes me!" Kurt cringed at the very idea. He hoped to the higher power that Blaine would not take advantage of this new information and go after the living boy. "I never would have guessed." He shook his head before catching the fearful look on Kurt's face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Kurt swallowed thickly before replying in a quiet voice, "You're not going to reciprocate now are you? I mean, you know, because he's alive and everything."

Blaine was taken aback by the question. "What? No. Oh honey of course not. It's really flattering and all but I've never been interested in Trent that way. He's always going to be just a friend to me," he replied. The smile returned to Kurt's face and he locked their lips together again.

"You just made me very happy Blaine."

"I bet I could make you even happier," Blaine replied, smiling back at him enchantingly.

Kurt smirked. "Really? How?"

Blaine leaned closer and brushed his lips right up against Kurt's ear, causing the pale boy to shiver slightly. And the next thing the angel knew, he was whispering three little words into his ear.

"I love you."


	12. Chapter Eleven

Kurt stared at Blaine with wide eyes, hardly able to believe what he had just heard. Had the boy really just said that? Blaine graced him with a soft smile. He reached out a hand to gently stroke the angel's cheek. Kurt leaned into the touch. He felt a lingering tingle run through his body. It was a sensation the boy had never felt before. Was this it? Was he going to get his life back? As amazing as that would be, Kurt still didn't think it was that simple.

He allowed a smile to cross his face.

"Blaine, you really are amazing," he replied. Blaine just smiled at him. He did not seem all that bothered by the fact that Kurt had not repeated the sentiment. Somehow, Blaine knew now was not the time. It still wasn't that simple.

"No Kurt," Blaine said. "You're the amazing one." Kurt allowed his eyes to flutter shut and he leaned even more into Blaine's hand, which was still resting against his cheek. "I know it probably isn't the best thing for me to say I love you but..." Kurt silenced him with a finger to his lips.

Soft lips pressed against Blaine's, granting the other a chaste kiss.

"Stop it you silly," Kurt said. "Don't ruin the moment. And it is the best thing because Blaine, I feel like you saying those words is a big step in the right direction." Blaine stared at him with wide eyes.

"You mean love is the answer?" Blaine asked.

Kurt smiled softly at him. "I'm meant to have a reason to want to stay. Truth is, I don't think I could leave you if I wanted to. But Blaine, it's not time yet."

Blaine looked at him for several moments. "That's it, isn't it?"

"What?"

"All you have to do now is say those three words to me."

Kurt looked at him for a moment before he nodded. "Yes, but only when the time is right." He smiled apologetically. Blaine just pulled him into his embrace.

"I'll wait as long as it takes Kurt. I'll wait an eternity, as long as it means I can keep you forever." Blaine held him tightly and Kurt was sure if he was living, his heart would be beating out of his chest right now. He couldn't wait for that moment to finally happen. He wanted to give all of himself to Blaine. But he refused to do that until he was living again. Kissing was another story. He didn't think he could handle having feelings for Blaine and not being able to kiss him.

As if to punctuate that thought, Kurt pressed his lips back to Blaine's in another passionate kiss.

"How sickeningly endearing," snapped a familiar voice. Kurt and Blaine broke apart to find Sebastian and two unfamiliar fallen angels standing in the doorway. "Grab him!" he spat.

Without warning, his two minions surged forward and grabbed Kurt by the arms. Kurt struggled but they were incredibly strong. Sebastian moved forward and slapped a heavy metal collar around Kurt's neck. The pale angel let out a scream of pain. His wings folded around him and locked in place. The halo around his head turned to metal and elicited bolts of electrical spark. One immediately shot itself into Kurt's head and he cried out again.

"Kurt!" Blaine cried. He scrambled to get up from the bed but was stopped by Sebastian.

"Not so fast Romeo!" the meerkat boy spat. "One wrong move and you see this button here? I'll press it and that collar around the girl's neck will send one thousand bolts of electricity into his body. Be lucky he can't die because he's already dead!" Blaine stared at him in horror. "Take him away!" Sebastian ordered his minions. Kurt gave Blaine one last helpless look as the two fallen angels vanished with him.

"Where are you taking him?!" Blaine spat coldly. That familiar smirk wrote itself across Sebastian's face.

"To a place you can't go after him because you're a human. He's going into demon captivity." Blaine was horrified. "Here's the deal Blaine. You renounce Kurt as your guardian, he'll be released. If you refuse, well, Kurt will suffer unbearable pain. So it's your choice Blaine. Make him suffer or never see him again. How much will you give up to keep Kurt from harm?"

Sebastian's wicked laughter filled the room before he vanished, apparently intending to give Blaine time to think about it. Blaine couldn't make such a decision. He'd never be able to live without Kurt in his life but he couldn't bear the thought of him hurt either. What was he going to do?

Blaine was at a complete loss. He didn't want to lose Kurt and he didn't want him hurt either. The worst part, Sebastian probably knew that.

"Blaine?" The seventeen year old looked up to see Alia standing in the middle of the room. He broke down into tears. She walked over to him and wrapped the sobbing boy in her arms. "Shhh, it's okay, we'll fix it."

"How?" Blaine croaked. "Sebastian gave me a choice I'm sure he knows I can't make. There's no way I could ever renounce him but I don't want to see him get hurt either. I don't know what to do." He sobbed even more as Alia held him tightly in her arms.

"There is one thing I know that Sebastian doesn't," Alia said. Blaine looked up at her. She raised a hand and placed a finger to the angel kiss mark that had replaced the mark of the demon. "Well, more than one thing but it all goes together." Blaine looked confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Alia smiled at him. "You've been angel kissed by Kurt. That is a physical bond between the two of you. Kurt cannot be renounced even if you wanted to renounce him. As long as he's an angel, he will always be yours."

"So I'm supposed to just let him suffer and be hurt?" Alia shook her head.

"No. You are human but because you have that kiss, you can go where other humans cannot. It offers you extreme protection. You cannot be harmed by a demon, nor their world. You can rescue Kurt."

Blaine's eyes went wide. "But how? I'm sure they won't just hand him over." Another smile graced the angel's face.

"All you have to do is tell them I ordered Kurt's release. The head of the angel council is the one demons fear the most. They wouldn't dare disobey me."

"What about the higher power? Don't they fear him?"

To his surprise, Alia laughed. "Only their leader fears him because he deals with their leader. The rest of the demons are under our order. It's a good thing they normally prefer not to meddle in things involving angels. I cannot tell you what Sebastian did to get them to agree to hold Kurt captive, but I can tell you that if this is what he wants, to continuously associate with demons, it would be unfair of me not to grant his wish. When this is over, I will be sending him to the down under."

Blaine could hardly believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. Sebastian was finally going to get what he deserved. And once sentenced to down below, he would never be able to get in the way again.

"But first you have to rescue Kurt," Alia said.

"How? I don't know the first thing about going down there," Blaine said.

Alia graced him with a gentle smile. "Come with me, I'll get you there," she told him, standing up and offering a hand to him. Blaine took it and allowed her to pull him up. "Don't let go of my hand," she said. He nodded, and in the next second, the two of them had vanished.

* * *

The two fallen angels walked behind Sebastian, hands keeping a firm grasp on Kurt's arms. Kurt was well aware of where they had taken him. They walked into a room in which sat the demon Sebastian had been cutting deals with.

"I have done what you asked demon," Sebastian said. He nodded behind him and his two fellows dragged Kurt forward. "Now keep your end of the bargain!"

A crooked grin crossed the demon's face and he turned to two of his fellow demons.

"Take the angel into captivity," he sneered at them. The two fallen angels shoved Kurt forcefully into the demons' hands. The two creatures' fingers burned as they wrapped them around Kurt's arms but the angel refused to cry out, not wanting to give the demons the satisfaction of knowing they were hurting him. He had to remain strong.

Sounds of the conversation between Sebastian and the demon drowned out as Kurt was dragged into a small dark room. He could hear a dripping sound as though the ceiling of the room was leaking, which it probably was. The demons dragged him across the small room in a few short steps and the next thing he knew, they were chaining him up against the wall, the hard metal cuffs biting roughly into his wrists.

He could hear them making garbled noises as though they were speaking to one another and Kurt was quite sure it was demon language. A bolt of electricity shot through his head randomly and he bit down hard on his lip. He would not let them see him in pain. He could not give them that satisfaction. He would not.

He could hear the sounds of a pleased Sebastian in the other room and he would give anything to wipe that pleasure right out of his voice.

And then Sebastian appeared in the doorway, his ever present smirk sneering across his meerkat face. "I hope you enjoy yourself ivory," he said, clearly making a quip at Kurt's pale skin though if it was meant to insult him, it didn't do very well. "You're going to be here for a very long time." Laughter broke the eerie silence in the room and the fallen angel turned on his heel, walking away with laughter in his step.

Kurt just glared after him. "Like hell I will," he muttered under his breath.

* * *

Blaine shivered in light of the flame bursting around the cave entrance. This was the way into demon territory and despite it being a fiery depth, the boy was positively freezing. How was it possible that there was flaming heat all around and yet it was still like the Arctic right where he stood?

"It's called a cold flame," Alia said, reading Blaine's thoughts. The boy looked at her curiously. "It gives off just as bright a flicker as regular fire, but it freezes you down to the bone." Blaine didn't need to question her explanation. He could feel the truth in her words.

"So I just...go in?" Alia nodded her head, wrapping him in a brief hug.

Blaine started to traipse his way toward the cave. His body shuddered with the cold sweeping over him. "Blaine?" Alia stated and he turned to look back at her. "I've decided to bestow something upon you first. It will guard you from the freeze as well as offer extra protection. And if there is any doubt from the demons that I sent you, it will stop it in its tracks."

"O...kay," Blaine replied hesitantly.

Alia smiled and molded a pretty white blue light in her hands. Blaine stared at it in wonder, mesmerized by it's beautiful color. "Blaine Anderson, what I am about to gift you with will be a permanent asset regardless of whether Kurt becomes human again or not. Do you understand?"

"Yes," the boy whispered.

"It is a very big responsibility and very rarely do we find a human worthy of joining guard. Your responsibilities will be to serve, protect, and honor the angel kingdom and code. You will always be able to see an angel regardless of whether they are hiding from view or visible for the world to see. You will be included in updates and minutes of council meetings and trusted with the knowledge of our world. You will be blessed with an honorary set of wings that will be white blue in color and come and go as needed, meaning they will not be there when you are not fulfilling a mission. Finally, you will be permanently kissed by the angels and join a high elite class of trusted humans and you are not to reveal your status to any other human unless you are instructed to do so. Kurt will always know of course. Do you accept these terms and responsibilities?"

Blaine was taken aback by all this. She wanted to bestow this wonderful high status position on him? He couldn't find his voice so he simply nodded.

"Very well. Blaine Anderson, I, Alia, the head of the angel council, hereby bestow upon you the order of the angel's guard, a prestigious honor granted to humans who have sworn to go to the end of the Earth and back to protect an angel they care for deeply, proving them worthy of being a protector of all angels."

The words had scarcely left her mouth when she thrust the ball of white blue light toward him. Blaine felt a warm sensation flood his being as he was surrounded in the bright ball of light. A tingling in his back alerted him to the white blue wings that seemed to have materialized from the ball. He was engulfed in the glow of the magic and could feel the strength in his very body grow stronger. Although he could not see it, upon his right shoulderblade, a pair of white blue wings dyed into his skin. Written in a silver curly script across the center of the wings were the letters AG, which stood for angel guard.

And as quickly as it had begun, the glowing faded away. Blaine found that white blue wings were wrapped around him and despite the cold flame, he felt immensely warm and comfortable.

"The wings have their own mind," Alia said and Blaine looked at her confused. "They know when to be out and when you don't need them. So you will never need to call on them or send them away. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Blaine replied. Alia smiled at him softly.

"Good. Now go rescue your angel." Blaine didn't need to be told twice. He turned and began to walk into the cave with his head held high and a new confidence.

"Hold on Kurt, I'm coming to get you."


	13. Chapter Twelve

Kurt could hear the dripping of the water in the small room he had been chained up in. It wasn't the only sound gracing his ears though. Distantly, he could hear the cries of pain and suffering. So far, aside from being dragged in here and chained up, he hadn't been subjected to much pain.

His wings were starting to feel extremely sore. The way the device had locked them into place was uncomfortable to begin with and the added cramping of the cold wall pressing them to his body was only making it worse.

For the first time, Kurt was wishing he had already achieved his second-chance life. If he had, he likely wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. Or if he was, he wouldn't be as uncomfortable because he wouldn't have the wings to deal with.

Kurt wasn't going to lie. He wanted Blaine. He wanted the boy to be his knight in shining armor but with Blaine being a human, there wasn't much he could do to help.

It was at that moment the demon Sebastian had turned Kurt over to entered the small room. He was holding a long whip in his hand. Kurt stared him down as he walked across the room in a few short strides until he was standing right in front of Kurt. He looked the angel up and down before reaching out a hand and yanking a feather from his wings. Kurt did his best not to cry out at the sudden pain.

"Silver," the demon snarled. "This will go nicely with the ten black feathers that fallen demon has already given me," he added. Kurt glared down at him.

"You won't get away with this!" he spat at the demon. The hideous creature raised a brow and started laughing manically.

"I already have angel. You see, Sebastian traded you to me in exchange for his freedom. What could be more fun than the torture of a council angel? That silly fallen boy was of no use to me. You will be much more valuable." Raising one of his wrinkly hands, the demon slapped Kurt's cheek twice, hard enough to leave a red mark. "And with you chained up, I have no reason to fear for my life because you are virtually powerless without the use of your hands." More manic laughter before the demon took a few steps back.

The whip was clutched tightly in one hand and Kurt wondered what he planned on doing with it. He found out in the next few seconds.

The demon surged forward again and ripped Kurt's shirt open, tearing the garment to shreds and throwing it to the floor. Kurt did not appreciate the move. With one hand, the demon forced Kurt's body to twist so that his chest was pressed against the cold wall and the strain in his wrists was bad enough to break them. He had to be careful not to twinge his hands in the slightest movement though it occurred to him that if he broke his wrists, he might just be able to slip out of the handcuffs that kept him pinned to the wall. But than his hands would still be useless because he wouldn't be able to move them with his wrists broken.

Next the demon forced a bit of space between the base of his wings and Kurt bit down on his lip. His wings were not meant to be forced apart at the base. And with them in that locked position the move was even more forceful than it would have been otherwise. It oddly reminded him of that time when he was six and doctors had to force his ear open because an infection in it had caused it to swell shut. That had been exceedingly painful and since Kurt was only six at the time, he'd cried for several hours afterward.

But he barely had time to register the pain now. Especially since in the next instant, the demon had cracked the whip on his back, lashing a strike to Kurt's delicate pale skin. A mark to an angel's body was a death sentence to anyone who left it there. Kurt knew the demon knew that but he also knew that the demon was quite sure no one would be able to stop him.

It was with that thought in mind that the demon continued his lashing of the whip to Kurt's back, leaving mark after mark across his skin and shouting things like Kurt being worthless. Of course, the angel believed none of it.

It seemed to go on forever until a voice interrupted him.

"Your grace, the guards have captured an intruder. He's an AG."

The demon froze and Kurt could feel his own eyes grow wide. An AG? What was an AG doing in the demon world? Unless...there was only one explanation. They were there to rescue Kurt.

* * *

Blaine's determination to get to the boy he loved only grew with every step he took into the cave, which was winding down and deep underground. The further he went, the darker it got. And the closer he got to the world he knew to belong to the demons, the louder the sounds of pain and suffering seemed to become. He could even hear the crackling of fire and knew that he would soon come upon the blaze.

Fists curled tightly down by his sides, ready to throw themselves into anyone or anything that stood in his way, the path became glowy and brightened as the first signs of fire came into view.

Little flames were beginning to poke up from the ground and Blaine began stepping around them until he accidentally stepped through one and became aware that it did nothing to him. Right, Alia had said he couldn't be harmed by demons or their world. So why had he thought he needed to walk around the fire? Force of habit likely.

Bursts of flames from the ground and walls became both larger and more frequent as he walked on. The sounds of pain and suffering grew louder. And then his ears picked up a new sound.

Garbled speech was coming from just around the corner up ahead of him. Blaine came to a stop and clenched his fists even tighter. He strained his ears to listen.

"Caught the angel Kurt Hummel," one of the voices said and Blaine knew he was in the right place.

"Still can't believe he released the fallen angel," the other said.

"Lucifer will be furious," the first replied. "He does not authorize the release of a slave whose willingly made the deal to be sworn to slavery. It doesn't matter how high ranking you are."

There was a beat before the other spoke once more.

"True but the fact that he freed the fallen in exchange for possession of a council angel will be enough to redeem his rule breaking. Lucifer praises anyone who can get a council angel into captivity."

"But Kurt is only an Earthbound council member."

Another beat. "Doesn't matter, he's still a council angel, which makes him much higher priority especially as it gives him authority over the rest of us."

Silence passed between them and Blaine got the sense that their conversation was over. Time to kick things into high gear. And now that he knew Sebastian's purpose for dragging Kurt down there, he was filled with even more anger. He used Kurt to break himself out of demon slavery. Well, given what Alia had told Blaine, that wasn't going to last for long. All he had to do was rescue Kurt and then Sebastian would get his. Eternal suffering in the underworld. Blaine's determination grew.

He could hear the ragged breathing of the two demons who had been speaking previously and realized they were likely guarding the entrance to the demon world. He decided that his best bet, let them take him in because that would take him directly to Kurt. Fighting his way to the boy would not serve well. The quicker he could get to his angel, the less he felt Kurt would have to suffer.

Squaring his shoulders, Blaine unclenched his fists and let his hands swing loosely at his sides. Now or never. He stepped forward, coming into view of the two demon guards around the corner.

"Who are you?" one of them snarled.

"White blue wings," the other said. Both demons' eyes darkened. "You're an Angel Guard!" They looked at each other.

"He's here to rescue the angel. We have to take him to the boss!"

Blaine did not move a muscle. There was no way these two were smart enough to catch on that they were doing what he wanted them to. He had a feeling neither would notice that he wasn't attempting to fight them off or anything.

One of them wrapped his long bony fingers tightly around Blaine's upper arm and the boy noted how he felt nothing but disgust at being touched by the creature.

"You're coming with us!" the one gripping Blaine's arm spat. The other grabbed onto his other arm and the two of them started to forcefully drag Blaine away. Or it would have been forcefully if Blaine had been struggling against them.

And all he could think was that they were taking him to Kurt.

* * *

Kurt could hear the demon in his little throne room, arguing with the guards in garbled speech. But there was an AG in there. Kurt was going to be freed now because the AG would win. They always did.

He was still twisted pathetically and painfully from the whipping session that had been gratefully interrupted. He tried to twist back around but couldn't get a good kick off the wall. He was stuck like that.

Or not.

A moment later, he heard shuffling and peeked over his shoulder. The two demons who had chained him up were coming toward him, one of them clutching a key. He was going to be released.

With the click of the lock, Kurt was freed and fell to the ground, where he scrambled to gather the remains of his torn shirt. He had barely grabbed the first piece when the two demons gripped him by the arms again, that searing pain of their touch shooting through his body once more but again, he resisted the urge to cry out.

"Boss wants you present angel!" one of them spat.

Kurt said nothing as the two of them carted him back into the first room where the boss sat upon his stupid little throne glaring at another presence in the room who was standing in the shadows.

The demon turned as the two and Kurt entered and snarled at the pale angel. "Did you authorize your charge to become an AG?" he spat at Kurt.

Wait, what? Kurt couldn't fathom what exactly was going on until the other presence came into the light and Kurt's eyes widened as he recognized the person as Blaine.

"Blaine..." he let out in a slightly broken whisper.

When Blaine saw Kurt with the collar still wrapped around his neck, the halo still periodically sending bolts of electricity into his head, his chest bare as he was no longer wearing a shirt, and signs of blood dripping down his back - wait, angels could bleed? His heart broke.

"Kurt, you're bleeding," Blaine said. That simple statement saw four pairs of eyes go wide.

"This boy's becoming human!" the boss demon cried out. He was full of rage. "When I get my hands on that fallen angel..."

"He'll be yours again soon," Blaine said. The demon stared at him. "Alia's wing stripping him. And she told me to tell you she orders Kurt's release." A mixture of fear and satisfaction showed in the demon's face. Fear of Alia and satisfaction of knowing that he would soon have Sebastian back in his control. And next time, there was no way out.

"Release the angel," he said though Blaine could tell it was spoken with great difficulty. The two demons holding Kurt dropped him carelessly and he fell to the floor. Blaine ran to his aide, pulling off his jacket and wrapping it around him as he curled Kurt into his arms. A second later, the metal collar broke open and clattered to the floor. Kurt's halo resumed its shine and golden color. And finally, his wings unlocked and stretched though Blaine noticed they were starting to molt, dropping feathers like crazy. He found that this surprisingly did not worry him at all.

Gathering Kurt into his arms, Blaine carefully lead the boy out of the room, remembering the path the guards had taken when escorting him. They left the three demons behind, bickering.

* * *

The two boys were quiet on their track out of the demon world. Kurt's wings continued to molt, leaving a trail of silver feathers in their wake. Blaine's jacket was stained a bit from the blood on Kurt's back. Angels weren't supposed to be able to bleed. Of that much Blaine was sure. What was happening than?

It wasn't until they had finally exited the cave, where Blaine realized Alia was no longer there but he thought he knew where she was, that Kurt finally spoke.

"They put you in the Angel Guard." A soft smile was gracing the pale boy's face. He was clinging to Blaine to keep upright because he felt oddly weak. That was not normal. The last time Kurt could remember feeling weak was the day of the accident when he was bordering the thin line between life and death.

Blaine returned the smile, bringing up a hand to gently cup Kurt's face. "Alia bestowed it on me just before I went in there to rescue you. Sebastian didn't know."

Kurt blinked. "Sebastian didn't know what Blaine?" he asked, his voice small and barely above a whisper, due to the feeling of weakness in his entire body. What was going on? His wings continued to molt. Blaine rubbed his thumb across Kurt's cheek. Kurt leaned into his touch.

"He didn't know that there was a way for me to go there and get you. He gave me a choice. He said either I renounce you, in which case you would have been freed again, or I let you suffer." Kurt stared at him in surprise. "I think he knew neither was an option for me."

Kurt's voice was still weak when he spoke next. "I guess there's still more that Sebastian doesn't know. I angel kissed you Blaine. You couldn't renounce me if you wanted to."

"I know. Alia told me that." He smiled softly at Kurt and Kurt smiled back.

"You look so breathtaking as an Angel Guard Blaine," he managed to say. Their eyes locked and Blaine stared back into the endless sea of swirly blue, green, and gray colors.

"Are you okay Kurt?" he asked in a quiet yet worried voice.

"I'm just feeling weak is all," Kurt replied. Blaine frowned.

"Do angels get weak?" he asked. Kurt gently shook his head.

"No. Only humans can feel weakness," he said quietly. Their eyes locked again and Blaine was starting to get an idea of just what was happening. The molting wings, the blood, the sudden weakness, and now the fact that Kurt's halo was starting to flicker in and out. And what had the demon said? He was turning human?

"Kurt..."

"I love you Blaine Anderson," Kurt finally whispered and he crashed their lips together. Blaine was so caught up in the moment that he didn't even register the glow of light that had surrounded the two of them. His eyes shut and he paid no mind to the rest of Kurt's feathers falling away from him or his halo flickering out for the last time or the fact that Kurt's body suddenly felt more real and solid in his arms, stronger even. It had finally happened.

Kurt Hummel was a living human being.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

The glow of the light finally died down as the two boys pulled apart. Blaine still had his hand on Kurt's cheek. Kurt stared lovingly into his eyes. Feathers littered the ground. Blaine dropped his hand and bent down to pick one up.

"Wanna keep one for memory's sake?" he asked, looking back at Kurt with a small smile. The pale boy chuckled and plucked the feather from Blaine's hand. He kissed him again and Blaine couldn't help but smile into the kiss.

"I love you," Kurt repeated as they broke apart again.

"I love you too," Blaine replied. "Now I get to show you off." Kurt chuckled again. And then his eyes went wide. "What's the matter baby?" Blaine asked.

"Finn's friends. Their memories need to be modified."

"That's been taken care of Kurt," said a voice. Both boys turned to see Elizabeth standing a few feet away from them. She had a soft smile on her face. Kurt opened his mouth to say something to his mother but she held up a hand. "I am so very proud of you Kurt. I always have been and I always will be. You deserve this more than any other kid I know. You're going to make something of yourself in this world. And you're going to be happy. But you no longer can see the future for Blaine. You are no longer an angel and no longer his guardian. But Alia has something for you. In a few weeks, after you have adapted to living again, we will have a meeting in regard to what she has planned. For now, we want you to just enjoy being a teenager. Go to school, make friends, be crazy in love. Be human." She smiled at the both of them and they couldn't help but to smile back. With a blown kiss, she vanished.

"Shall we?" Blaine asked, holding out his hand. Kurt smiled and took it.

"We shall," he replied.

* * *

Returning to Dalton was kind of nerve wracking for both boys. Kurt was now alive again and Blaine was about to reveal the very reason he'd been so off the past few weeks, since the day of his birthday.

"You ready for this?" Blaine asked him as the two boys stood outside the school.

Kurt looked at him. "This is only brief Blaine. I love you but, it's time for me to go home." Blaine smiled at him.

"Right. Let's just go get my car keys" he said, remembering that Alia had been the one who had brought him to the entrance of the underworld. Kurt nodded and squeezed his hand. Blaine decided that felt even better now that Kurt was a living human being and no longer an angel. Though he had to admit, he would miss the beautiful wings and halo. But he had been right all that time earlier when he'd thought that Kurt would be just as beautiful if he wasn't an angel.

"Okay," Kurt said.

The two boys walked forward and entered the building hand and hand. They began making their way up to Blaine's dorm so the boy could get his car keys.

"Blaine, where have you been?" cried a voice, stopping the two of them just down the hall from Blaine's room. They turned to see Trent standing there, Jeff and Nick just behind him. Blaine felt Kurt tense beside him and he squeezed the pale boy's hand even tighter.

"Taking care of some important business," he told him firmly. He glanced at Kurt, whose eyes were fixed on Nick and Jeff. The two boys were staring back at him with eyes wide as saucers. "Trent, Nick, Jeff, I'd like you to meet Kurt, my boyfriend." Kurt felt his heart swell at the word. He could hardly believe that Blaine had called him his boyfriend. Trent looked immediately crushed.

"Is this why you've been sneaking around?" he asked, tone choked and harsh. Nick and Jeff looked at each other. Blaine nodded. Trent put his hands on his hips. "Ditching Warblers practice for some boy no one knows when you have perfectly good options right in front of you? Am I not good enough for you Blaine?" His tone was not accusatory. It was heartbroken.

Blaine let his face fall for a moment. "Look Trent, you're a great guy and you're going to make some other great guy very happy someday. But it won't be me. I'm really sorry Trent but I've just always seen you as more of a really good friend and I don't want to lose you as one," he said. Trent looked crestfallen.

Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand as he watched the exchange. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Nick and Jeff exchange glances with each other. Trent was watching them with a broken expression on his face. Kurt was expecting more to come out of the boy, for him to maybe start fighting for Blaine. But that didn't happen. In fact, Trent just gave them both one last fleeting look before turning and walking off, the sounds of sobbing filling the hallway as he went.

"It happened," Jeff said in a voice barely above a whisper once Trent was out of earshot. Blaine nodded.

"It happened," he confirmed, smiling at Kurt who couldn't help but smile back.

That was all the confirmation Nick and Jeff needed. They nodded to Kurt and Blaine and started to walk off.

"See you around Klaine," Nick said as they passed. Kurt turned to look at Blaine with mild confusion.

"Klaine?" he asked. Blaine chuckled.

"Isn't that cute? They've already given us a couple name." Kurt stared at him wide-eyed. Since when did such things exist? Being dead for ten years really did cause you to miss a lot. "Come on," Blaine said, tugging gently on Kurt's hand to get him moving again. "Let's go get my keys so I can drive you home."

They were met with no more incidents on the way to Blaine's room, where the curly-haired boy collected his car keys and the two of them headed back out to the parking lot, neither letting go of the other's hand.

"I love you," Kurt whispered as Blaine unlocked the car door for him. Blaine smiled and pecked him on the cheek.

"I love you too Kurt." Kurt felt his heart fill with love for this boy. This boy who had been his everything for as long as he could remember. This boy who had done everything in his power to remind Kurt that he was strong enough to do all this and more. This boy who had no qualms about giving his heart to an angel. This boy who had fallen in love with him and who he had fallen in love with. This boy who had helped him get his life back. Blaine was perfect in every sense of the word. Kurt couldn't fathom how he had gotten so lucky.

Blaine opened the door and Kurt climbed in. He smiled up at his boyfriend and Blaine smiled back as he shut the door again and went around to the driver's side of the car.

It wasn't long before they were on their way to Lima. Kurt would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about returning to his family. Sure his dad knew about the whole second-chance life thing but Kurt had become so accustomed to living with Blaine that he wasn't sure how he would handle being apart from him. Blaine noted that Kurt looked conflicted and reached over to grab his hand.

"You okay?" he asked. Kurt sighed.

"I'm just a little nervous is all. I've never had to be anywhere without you Blaine. I just..." He sighed again, not sure how to continue.

Blaine was silent for a moment, thinking. He knew there was only one solution. Not taking his eyes off the road, he asked a simple question. "You want to go to McKinley, right?" Kurt hesitated a moment before he nodded.

"Yes," he said, knowing that Blaine could not glance his way because he was driving.

"Than I'll transfer," Blaine replied simply. Kurt stared at him, wide-eyed.

He frantically shook his head. "Oh no Blaine, I couldn't ask you to do that! Dalton is your safe haven and you have friends there and what about the Warblers? It would be selfish of me to ask you to transfer schools on my account."

Blaine pulled over and parked the car momentarily on the side of the street. He turned so that he was facing Kurt, one hand still on the steering wheel.

"Look at me Kurt," and Kurt complied. He locked his beautiful glasz eyes on Blaine's hazel ones. "First, you're not asking, I'm offering and before you start to protest, I'm doing it because I want to. You mean the world to me Kurt and I love you so completely. I can't imagine life without being able to see you everyday." Kurt felt tears start to prick his eyes. Blaine moved so that he was holding both of Kurt's hands in his own. "Secondly, the Warblers will manage without me. I have their phone numbers. I can always call them and hang out. And there's no law that says you can't make more friends." He smiled at Kurt.

Kurt sniffed and removed his hands from Blaine's, surging forward and throwing himself into Blaine's arms instead. Blaine wrapped his arms tightly around the pale boy and held him close. Kurt buried his face in his neck.

"I love you Kurt. That's never going to change." Blaine could feel the wetness of Kurt's tears on his skin but he didn't care.

"I love you too Blaine," Kurt replied in a choked whisper. He pulled back enough so he could press their lips together in a searing kiss. Blaine's grip on him tightened and he pulled Kurt so close the taller boy was practically sliding over the console and sitting in Blaine's, lap.

It seemed to be an eternity before they broke apart and Kurt blushed, straightening out his clothes and sliding back into his seat. Blaine chuckled as Kurt attempted to smooth out his hair.

"Come on, I still have to get you home," Blaine said, starting the car again and pulling away from the curb.

It wasn't long after that, that Blaine was pulling into the Hudson-Hummel driveway. For a moment, the two of them just sat in the car. Neither of them knew what to expect from all of this. And Kurt was a bit perplexed when he noticed that there were several more cars surrounding the house.

"Maybe this was not the best time," Kurt said nervously, glancing around at all the cars. Blaine reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it.

"It's okay to be scared Kurt. I don't know who is here but remember what your mom said. If they're Finn's friends, they have no recollection that you were ever dead."

Kurt drew a breath. "I know. I'm just..."

"Tense at the idea of meeting so many people at once?" Blaine offered.

"Yeah," Kurt replied, eyes focusing on the front door. Blaine squeezed his hand again.

"I'll be right there with you," he said. Kurt turned his head and gave Blaine a fleeting smile. He leaned over and softly pressed his lips to Blaine's in a chaste kiss. Blaine hummed against Kurt's mouth.

"Thank you," Kurt said when he pulled away. Blaine smiled in reply.

They both just sat there for another moment. Blaine was trying to give Kurt the chance to prepare himself for what he might find when he entered the Hudson-Hummel house for the first time as a living human being. He didn't have a clue how his stepbrother's friends' memories had been modified but he hoped it was nothing embarrassing.

Finally, Kurt nodded his head and the two of them climbed out of the car. Blaine came around to Kurt's side and offered his hand. Kurt took it gratefully and laced their fingers together as the two of them headed up the walk to the door. Kurt took a deep breath and raised his hand, giving the door three short knocks, not bothering with the doorbell.

A second later, they could hear footsteps coming to the door and Kurt gripped Blaine's hand tighter. He held his breath as the door was opened to reveal Finn standing there.

"Kurt, Blaine!" Finn cried with a smile. "Come on in! We were just celebrating the fact that the Glee Club are going to Nationals." Finn didn't seem to have noticed that Kurt was no longer sporting silver wings and when his eyes picked up on that fact, they got really wide. "Kurt..." he whispered.

"I'm alive," Kurt said and Finn wasted no time pulling him into a bone crushing hug. Kurt was so surprised that he didn't register the unfamiliar feeling of being crushed so tightly he couldn't breathe. Finn was already pulling out of the hug by the time, he realized it. Kurt and Blaine could see Chandler standing behind Finn.

"Congratulations Kurt," the other angel said and Kurt beamed at him.

Finn stepped aside to allow Kurt and Blaine to enter the house and Kurt briefly recognizad the smattering of people in the living room as all the kids he'd seen in the choir room with Finn that day, the first time he had let Finn see him.

Finn stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Now that I have your attention," he started. "I'd like to introduce you to my stepbrother."

"Your stepbrother?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow. "The one whose been attending school in Europe?"

Kurt couldn't help but feel smug at that thought. That was a very nice cover story. Finn did not seem surprised at Rachel's question and Kurt guessed that he had already been informed of what the memory modifications were so that he could play along with it. He smiled at Rachel.

"Yes Rachel," Finn replied. "I only have the one." He laughed. "So, this is Kurt. And the guy next to him is his boyfriend Blaine." Kurt and Blaine were stunned that Finn already knew that. They hadn't told him yet. He gave them both a wink, something that suggested he'd been pre-informed of that too.

"You're dating a hobbit?" quipped a Latina girl and Kurt stared at her in confusion.

"Don't mind Santana," a dark-skinned girl said. "She's always like that, insulting people. You'll get used to it. I'm Mercedes," she added, smiling and reaching out a hand for Kurt to shake. Kurt took it gratefully and smiled back at her. "You'll learn everyone's names eventually."

Rachel seemed to think it was necessary to surge forward and yank Kurt away from Blaine's side so that she could stick her nose in his face. "Do you sing?" she asked. "Because I could always use more backup singers in Glee Club."

Finn rolled his eyes and pulled his girlfriend away from Kurt, who gave him a silent nod of thanks. "Rachel don't crowd him," Finn said. "He just got home. Let him get used to being here again." Blaine shot Finn a grateful look as well, thanking the boy for doing everything he could not to let his friends overwhelm Kurt. Kurt hadn't even been alive again for a day yet. He didn't need all this.

"What's all the commotion?" asked a gruff voice and they all turned to see Burt entering the room from the kitchen. His eyes immediately fell on Kurt and Blaine. "Kurt..." Burt whispered, noting almost immediately that there were no wings on his back and everyone in the room seemed to be able to see him standing there.

"Dad..." Kurt whispered back and in the next instant, he had thrown himself into his dad's arms as tears fell from both men's eyes. Blaine looked on with his heart swelling with pride. Burt shot a look over Kurt's shoulder at Blaine.

'Thank you,' he mouthed and Blaine smiled and nodded to him. He knew what he was thanking him for. It was because of Blaine that Burt had his son back. It was because of Blaine that Kurt could live again. Burt would forever be grateful to Blaine and as far as he was concerned, the curly-haired boy was as much family as Kurt was.

When Burt and Kurt finally parted, Burt patted him roughly on the shoulder. "Great to have you home kiddo," he said.

"It's great to be home," Kurt replied. And that was when Blaine knew, Kurt was going to be just fine.


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the epilogue of the first story! I did get the first chapter of the sequel done as I did get it started on fan fiction. It's entitled a Beary Happy Birthday Kurt and I'm debating whether to post the first chapter now or after I get more actually written to it. Let me know! Thanks for reading this story and though it was completed initially last March, I still enjoyed creating the world I made for it!
> 
> For those of you who are new to reading this story and didn't read it on fan fiction, the inspiration for this fic was a white teddy bear with a red ribbon tied around its neck. Sound familiar? *wink* The bear belongs to me. I got him at a Build-A-Bear in August 2012 and his name is Kurt E. Hummel. Again, thanks for reading!
> 
> Comments and kudos make me smile! Enjoy!

A few weeks had passed since Kurt had become a living human again and he was settling in nicely. Though due to the whole incident with Karofsky, he was able to walk through the halls of McKinley without fear of being hurt for being gay. And the best thing about it all, he still had Blaine at his side. True to his word, Blaine had transferred to McKinley so he could be with Kurt everyday still. They were so used to it, no one protested, except Trent who really wasn't happy their lead Warbler was transferring schools for a boyfriend they hadn't known he had.

"No, I think Kurt should get a solo at Nationals," Rachel said on one particular day a few weeks after Kurt had started McKinley, effectively shutting up the entire choir room.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Rachel Berry?" Mercedes asked. Kurt was just starting to get the idea that no one got solos except Rachel. She had to have them all and he was a bit surprised by her statement but not as much as the others.

"I'm serious," Rachel said. "He's new to the school completely, he has an amazing voice and we need to let the world know that we have him now. No one else can have Kurt. He's unique and one of a kind and-"

Santana cut her off. "Did you take nice and generous pills this morning man hands?"

That shut Rachel up, throwing the room into an awkward silence for several moments before Blaine spoke up.

"I think it would be a great idea to let Kurt sing," he said, squeezing Kurt's hand. The pale boy smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Blaine smiled back. "But only if he's ready for that. His studying in Europe was very, singular. He's not exactly used to crowds in that way."

Finn nodded his head to what Blaine was getting at. "Yeah, performing in front of that many people might not be something Kurt's ready for."

"But he already has to do it!" Rachel pointed out.

Blaine gave his head a shake. "As a background singer. You of all people know how much more pressure being a featured soloist is than just singing background."

Kurt had tuned out of the conversation at this moment but not because he didn't find it important as it was about him. It was because he had just noticed Alia standing in the classroom doorway, looking on fondly. The others became absorbed in a debate about whether or not Kurt should sing at Nationals. Kurt tugged on Blaine's hand, trying to get his attention and when Blaine looked over at him, he pointed at the doorway. Alia, seeing she had both of their attention, beckoned them to come with her. Blaine tapped Finn on the shoulder.

"Kurt and I will be back. We have some important business to handle," he whispered to him. Finn looked slightly confused until Blaine subtly ticked his head toward the doorway. When he saw Alia standing there, she waved at him and Finn gave a short nod.

"Okay dude. I'll cover for you guys."

"Thanks Finn," Kurt said. He and Blaine got up and followed Alia out of the room. She smiled at the two boys.

"Still very much in love I see," she quipped. Blaine and Kurt both blushed, avoiding each other's eyes. "Come along. We have a meeting with the council."

Blaine stared at her wide-eyed. "The council? As in the angel council?" Alia nodded and smiled at him. "We're living humans though. How can we go up there?" Alia did not seem at all surprised by his confusion.

She placed a hand on Blaine's shoulder. "You are a member of the angel guard Blaine. You can go anywhere we can, including our own realm. Just like it allowed you into the underworld, it will allow you into our world." Blaine nodded and opened his mouth to say something else but Alia seemed to know already what he was going to say. "As for Kurt, he's been marked by the kiss of life. You can say he's a living human with angel privileges because a part of him will always be an angel. Even if he is alive now." Blaine found that actually made sense. "Come along. Much to do and so little time to do it."

The two of them followed her down to the end of the hall where Alia raised her hands and shot forward a burst of energy to open a shimmering white portal. Blaine clutched Kurt's hand tighter. He was about to enter the angel realm for the first time, the place where his boyfriend had called home for the past ten years. Kurt pecked his lips lightly and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"After you," Alia said, stepping back from the portal. Blaine drew a breath and he and Kurt walked on through. He immediately was overcome with this feeling of great protection and love as he stepped onto the cloud, amazed that something so light and fluffy could hold his weight. Alia followed a moment later and the portal closed behind them. "Welcome to the sky," she said, smiling.

Blaine was in complete awe and marvel at the place. It was swarming with angels all going about their business, different ages but all seemingly happy. Alia reached up to ring a bell Blaine hadn't noticed was there and all the angels stopped what they were doing and filed to the meeting area.

Kurt and Blaine followed Alia into the meeting dome. Angels filled the stands everywhere and Alia offered them two comfortable seats that sat in the middle of the floor. They took them, still holding hands. Alia went to the throne in the center of the council table. To her right, sat Kurt's mother Elizabeth. She was smiling softly at the boys.

A moment later, Alia rang a little hand bell and they all fell instantly quiet.

"Good afternoon," she said to the lot of them as a whole. "We are here for the much anticipated after meeting of the former angel Kurt Hummel. Kurt, I am sure you are aware that after meetings for angels who have gone back to the world of the living are not common practice." Kurt nodded his head. "This is a good thing," she added with a smile at Blaine who looked utterly confused. "Firstly, I would like to introduce Blaine Anderson, the boy responsible for Kurt's achievement of second-chance life."

The applause was deafening and Blaine found himself blushing slightly. Kurt was beaming brightly at him and kissed his cheek. "Um, thank you," Blaine managed to say.

"Blaine has been marked as an angel guard." There were murmurs and pleased chatter at this news. "Which is why he is able to join us today." She smiled at both boys. "Kurt, from the moment you became an angel, you have done nothing but bring good and grant happiness among other angels and your family and friends. You have fiercely protected all those you care about and have demonstrated what it truly means to be an angel. For that, we applaud you."

"Thank you Alia," Kurt said as another round of applause went up around all the angels in the vicinty. His mother was beaming proudly at her son and Kurt could tell by the twinkle in her eye, Elizabeth knew something he did not.

Alia politely waited for everyone to settle down. "Kurt, given the chance, would you continue to protect fellow angels and those you love?" she asked and Kurt had a sudden notion of where this might be going.

"Yes," he said firmly. "Just because I am living again doesn't mean I will protect them all any less. You guys are still my family too and you always will be. You've been encouraging and accepting of me since day one. For that I will be eternally grateful and I will never regret my time as an angel. When the day comes that I should rejoin you all, I will welcome it with open arms," he said. More applause went up at Kurt's little speech and Blaine was beaming proudly at him. He kissed Kurt's cheek lovingly.

Alia was smiling as well and she nodded her head in confirmation.

"Very well," she said. "Than my decision is the right one." Kurt watched her curiously for a moment and her face became very serious. "Dark times lie ahead for the angels and we will not be able to push through them on our own. We are calling a mass alert to the angel guard," she went on , nodding her head to Blaine. "And we are expanding them. I made this decision way before you even became human again Kurt. I would like to induct you into the angel guard. Do you accept?"

For a moment, Kurt just stared at her with a stunned expression as though he could not fathom ever being bestowed the honor to still be a part of this world even after regaining his life, even knowing how much of a positive impact he had as an angel. He certainly was not expecting this.

"I accept," he said quietly when he had found his voice again. Alia stood from her seat at the head of the council.

"Kurt Hummel," she said, bringing her hands together to mold the same light she had used on Blaine the day he had rescued Kurt from the down under. "As head of the angel council, I hereby induct you into the angel guard." Blaine was aware that she did not need to go through as much as she had when she had inducted him.

The light was thrust toward Kurt and it surrounding him in its warm glow. The white blue angel wings delicately forming on his back and hiding away until needed. The angel guard tattoo imprinting itself on his shoulder. Blaine wanted to kiss it. They were equals now in a way.

And when the light had died away again, the applause rang out. There were cheers and Kurt couldn't keep the smile off his face. He and Blaine shared a loving look and then Kurt squeezed his hand. They would play this together.

"Alia," Kurt said when the noise had died down. She smiled at him. "May I make a request?"

"You may," she replied.

Blaine gave Kurt a curious look. "With all due respect Alia, I believe Finn Hudson is worthy of joining the angel guard."

A small smile crossed Alia's face. "I do not disagree with you Kurt. Finn too has proven his loyalty to us and to you and Blaine. He would make a fine addition to the angel guard. But alas, that decision is no longer mine to uphold." There were several murmurs and gasps of surprise around the group. Kurt furrowed his brow and Blaine looked just as confused as his boyfriend was.

"I don't understand," Kurt said, giving his head a shake.

Another warm smile crossed Alia's face. "Inducting you into the angel guard is my last official act as head of the angel council. My job is done. I have enjoyed it immensely but it is time to pass the torch and for me to take a comfortable life being a guardian or throwing lightning. Therefore, I, Alia, retire my position as head of the angel council and bow my head to the new reign." She turned to glance at Elizabeth beside her. "Elizabeth Hummel do you accept the terms and conditions of the position of head of the angel council?"

Kurt felt his heart swell. He was watching his mother receive the position he knew she would be well suited for. He felt tears of joy sting his eyes. Not that he didn't love Alia as head because he very well did.

"I do," Elizabeth replied. She cast her son a small smile and he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Elizabeth Hummel, I hereby inaugurate you as the new head of the angel council. May you reign with grace and peace and may all your decisions carry us through the dark times ahead." She held up the little hand bell. "With this bell, I transfer all the power of the council head to you. May you become wise and all knowing."

The moment Elizabeth's hand wrapped around the bell, a golden light surrounded the two of them and Kurt gazed on in wonder. He had only ever seen this happen once, when Alia had taken over as head but the fact that it was his mother receiving the honor made it all more beautiful.

When the light receded, Alia's wings were no longer gold. They had returned to their former white color, signifying that she had not only stepped down as head but had stepped down as a member of the council as well. Elizabeth's wings were positively glowing in their sparkling gold color. Alia stepped away from the council table and Elizabeth took her new rightful position as head of the table.

"As Alia has said," she began. "Dark times lie ahead for all of us. It is a time we need to band together as one and meet with the fight. All members of the angel guard," and she nodded to Kurt and Blaine, "Will be called upon at some point in the future for a meeting and briefing of the danger. As of right now, the need to protect and go into battle is not strong but the angel guard will know when it is. That will be the day action and strength, perseverance and endurance will come together and we will stand tall against the fight. Kurt," she went on, looking at her son. "Finn Hudson will be inducted into the angel guard if he so accepts. In due time, you and Blaine and possibly Finn will be introduced to other members of the guard and you will fight together. Do you understand?"

Kurt nodded his head. "Yes your high one," he said, feeling strange addressing his mother that way. She gave him a soft smile.

"Kurt, head of the angel council or not, I am still your mother first. I expect to continue to be addressed as such." Kurt flushed.

"Yes mom." She smiled at him again.

"Blaine," she said, turning to face him. Blaine nodded his head in recognition of being addressed. "You may continue to call me Elizabeth or if you so choose, you can call me mom too. After all, you will marry my son one day." She winked at him and both boys blushed a deep red.

"Um...yes mom," Blaine whispered, trying it out and Kurt felt his heart swell again. Elizabeth picked up the gavel that was sitting on the table.

"Meeting adjourned!" She pounded the gavel once and rang the hand bell. The lot of angels broke to return to their daily tasks. Elizabeth came around the head table to hug both Kurt and Blaine in turn, holding them both tightly in her arms. "You are both my sons now and forever. I will see to Finn and you will know when you are needed. For now, just enjoy being in love."

"I love you mom," Kurt said. "I'm so happy for you." She smiled at him.

"And I am incredibly proud of you Kurt. And grateful to you Blaine for everything you have ever done for Kurt, starting with the very day you learned his name. I knew you were special the moment I saw the effort you made to show a dead kid you had never known how much a complete stranger could care."

Blaine beamed. "Honestly, I can't imagine my life without him. I love Kurt with everything I have and more. That's never going to change." He and Kurt smiled lovingly at each other and Elizabeth nodded her head slightly.

Wielding a light in her hands, she pulled open the portal that would return them to McKinley. "Now go. I expect your friends are wondering where you got to, except for Finn."

The two of them nodded and thanked her again, both going in for one more hug. She promised that she would see them soon. And with that promise and a future of battling dark things to look forward to, Kurt and Blaine passed through the portal hand in hand, excited to start their lives together.


End file.
